Letto Etto Boo
by raoulofrage23
Summary: AU. Bakura distances himself from people ever since he lost his best friend. If he holds no one close, he can't get hurt. Under abnormal circumstances, he takes in a runaway boy who triggers emotions he thought he buried long ago. Rated Teen COMPLETE
1. Prologue

AN: It's kinda like…a sequel to 'Or So', but not a sequel…nevermind. Forget I said anything. I'm confusing myself. Enjoy.

Disclaimor for all chapters: I do not own YGO.

Prologue

The child glanced behind him, knowing better than to hope that no one was following him. Shadows danced on the alley walls, ensued by a ruckus of shouts. What was he thinking? Of course they were after him, and they were gaining. Gasping for breath with fear evident in his chocolate eyes, the boy ran harder than he ever had before.

If he was caught, he would never feel that sensation again.

It was that _one _day. When that…person…had found him in the streets, abandoned for the night. That man had, for a few hours, given him liberty, given him choice, given him reason.

Before they claimed him again.

Again, the dark. Fear. Nausea. Pain.

Only this time, it was different. The notion of running away never crossed his mind until that day.

He wanted to live his own life.

Glancing behind him once more, the child's eyes grew wide as a man reached out for him…

Then he saw stars…a lot of them.

---

Bakura sighed in relief as he pulled out the fish bone at last. He slammed it on the table in triumph and pushed his dish away. About a cm in length, that annoying piece of fillet had been jammed between his teeth since his first bite of dinner bliss.

A bustling woman with a teapot in hand and a notepad in the other jogged over to him, grinning. "Finished, Baku?"

He scowled, placing his arms behind his head. "Don't call me that."

She waved the teapot at him, her other hand tucking the paper into her apron. She swept all the silverware to one side of the table with ease, her auburn curls bouncing as she did so. "Be nice, Bakura!" she exclaimed, her green eyes sparkling. Swiftly, she wiped the table down.

The white-haired boy rolled his eyes, placing a five-dollar bill on the table as tip. "See ya, Fay," he muttered, jamming his hands in his jean pockets as he headed for the door.

Fay watched him leave, shaking her head. "He may as well be a lost cause," she said to no one in particular.

The wind hit him full throttle. It brought the familiar scents of fish, rotten fish, and bait. A fisherman's dream, really. But not for Bakura. This stupid town and its smell held unpleasant reminiscences.

Just remembering was painful.

And so was the collision. The crash with the boy who had a collar, that changed his entire life whether he liked it or not.

AN: So what do you think? Feedback please!


	2. The Kid

AN: Sorry this chapter is a late! Here it is!

Chapter One: The Kid

Bakura knew he was growling. He didn't like it when 'spry' little kiddies ran into him. They were always chasing something, or being chased, laughing and giggling and acting all innocent. It was down right infuriating!

"Watch it!" he barked, straightening his dark blue shirt. "Don't fool around-" His eyes fell on a tuft of white hair. His ears roared as memories flew.

White. Koro. Tests. Pain.

Loss.

"Gotcha!" A hand clamped itself onto the boy's shoulder.

Bakura acted on instinct. He reached for the arm hauling away the white-haired kid and applied enormous pressure to the man's wrist. A guy in a black suit yowled and let go, pain flaring in his right hand.

Pulling the mini Koro behind him, Bakura glared at the oncoming persons, taking on a fighting stance. There were four of them, but one was already down. The tallest looked just as wide as three people, while another looked more like a stick than human. The last one had sunglasses.

Glowering at each other, Sunglasses' thoughts ran crazy: How did he know that the tyke had been on the run? Who was his boss, to want something like the kid so bad? He mentally slammed a hammer down on his thoughts. It was no matter…they would take care of him.

Slowly, a malicious grin spread across Bakura's face. "What's up with the identical suits?" the teen asked, scoffing. "You guys look funny."

The provocative worked. The bulldozer of a man ran straight for him with a war cry, as Skinny darted behind him. The teen took a few steps forward, distances himself from the child before taking the house of a man down with a spinning hook kick. The thin one was coming behind him fast. Having no time to turn around, Bakura nabbed him with a jumping back kick.

Only one suit was left, cooling studying Bakura with his shades. Which happened to be black. _He took them out pretty fast…_

He demanded coolly, "Give us the child. He does not belong to you."

Bakura stuck his tongue out, and blew a raspberry.

"Impudence!" the man hissed icily, and all hesitance fled as he attacked.

Bakura ducked the first punch, and narrowly escaped the second. This chap was _fast._ He shoved the kid away and evaded a kick. Swinging his fist for the man's stomach, Bakura felt his ear get clipped.

When his fist hit the man solidly in the midsection, Bakura grimaced. Sunglasses was really strong, too. Bakura had hit a very solid and real six pack. He couldn't kick this close to the opponent, and it seemed that Sunglasses knew that. Every time Bakura tried to pull away, his foe came with him.

The air was knocked out of him as Bakura was slugged on his side. Stumbling backward, he gasped for breath. Bakura hated to admit it, but there was no way he could win.

_I hate doing this,_ Bakura thought, grabbing ahold of the boy's arm. He made a rude gesture at the man before turning tail and running.

Sunglasses blinked. He hadn't expected this. He considered giving chase for a moment, before shaking his head. He would have to get him another day…later. First, he had to care for his men…a pathetic bunch, really, but the boss would yell at him if he left them sprawled on the street like this.

Bakura abruptly turned into an alleyway with the child in tow and wove a warping path. A few minutes and several alleys later, he leaned against a wall and tried to catch his breath.

The boy was trembling like crazy, his heart palpitating. He had escaped from the clutches of one captor, and fallen into another's. Everything he risked had been for nothing. All of that agony and anguish caved down on him, causing him to fall on his knees.

Bakura listened for anything that could be pursuers, but heard nothing. He slid down to the ground before he said anything.

"Sheesh, that sucked, didn't it, Kor-" Bakura clamped his mouth shut. The boy in front of him was nothing like Koro. He had brown eyes, not green. And that collar. Koro wouldn't wear a metal collar! How could he have done something so stupid? Slapping the wall beside him with a short cry of frustration, Bakura felt his spirit crumbling.

The boy jumped, fright apparent in his eyes. His breathing became uneven, and his shaking increased. Had he made a mistake? Should he try to go back? What would they do if he went back? …They would…erase him…He choked. _I don't want to be erased! _

Bakura watched the hyperventilating child, his frustration subsiding.

"Hey, kid…you alright?" he asked tentatively, his eyes showing faint traces of alarm.

With a shudder, the boy fainted.

---  
Bakura's House  
---

He had caught the boy before he hit the floor. After checking for a pulse, and finding one, Bakura dejectedly sat on the ground.

_What can I do? _he thought miserably. _I can't drop him off at the orphanage. Too far. And it's getting dark, so I can't just leave him. _There was always his house…but it was at least two miles away on the beach. Then again, if he wanted to drop the kid off at the orphanage, it'd take at least two hours on foot. _Screw it…he can stay one night. _

His better judgment screaming, Bakura started home.

Knowing that he'd attract too much attention if he walked in the open streets with a blacked out child in his arms, Bakura decided to stick to the back passages. Even though they were grimy with things Bakura preferred not knowing, the posterior streets were mostly empty except for the occasional drunkard.

The pavement gave way to dirt before sand. Bakura's feet welcomed the change. He loved walking on the beach.

His small house came into view. With a kitchen and living room as one, a single bathroom, and two bedrooms, the abode was barely better than a hut. But it did have a porch, with a cot in the front corner. Tired and aggravated, Bakura hollered for someone to open the door as he climbed the steps of the deck.

"Coming!" a voice shouted.

After waiting a few seconds more, Bakura just kicked the door open, his patience at an end.

"Damn it, Bakura, I said I was coming! How many times do I have to tell you not to do that-Holy shit! Don't tell me that's your kid from some girl you knew a long time ago brought to you. And what's with the collar? Do I know the girl? She didn't just leave the kid here with you, did she?"

"Marik, shut it," Bakura growled, stalking into the living room. "Help me get him into a bed. He's heavier than he looks." _But lighter than he should be, _Bakura added, but kept it to himself.

A tanned youth with a dull kind of blonde hair stared at the boy. He frowned at the collar before quickly standing and opening a door on the far side of the cluttered house. It revealed a small room with a mattress on the ground with clothes all over the place.

Bakura gently laid the boy on the bed and pulled the covers up over the boy's torso. Then he jostled most of his clothes to one corner of the room. He glanced back once before closing the door behind him.

Marik pulled a chair out for him, and placed a diet coke in front of the teen. (AN: I don't own CocaCola.) Bakura opened it and took a sip. It tasted good and calmed him down a little. When he saw Marik's anxious face, he tried to explain.

"I saw the tyke, and mistook him for someone else."

Marik's eyes clouded over. "Koro…"

Bakura blankly looked past his friend, nodding. "What was I thinking?" he murmured. He drank some more.

There was a pause. "What happened?" the Egyptian boy asked patiently.

"A fight…a few guys in suits. One was really strong, so I retreated."

"You mean you ran away?" Marik dodged the coke can, lightly teasing Bakura.

"He was really strong, okay? Anyways, the kid freaked out and fainted." Placing his hands on his knees, the renegade teen huffed.

Marik glanced at the door, half expecting it to open for some reason. That collar really bothered him, but he knew that Bakura didn't have any clue about it, either. "Why do you think they were after him? What is he? Ten? Eleven?"

Bakura shrugged. "It doesn't matter. He's out of here as soon as he gets up and can move around." Before Marik could complain, Bakura glared at him. The tan boy met his gaze evenly. A silence hung in the air before Marik asked, "So what's his name?"

"…Beats me."

A small cry lurched the teens to their feet. They exchanged looks before scurrying for the room in which the child rested.

What they found was not what Bakura was expecting.

The little boy was thrashing on the bed, as if having a bad dream. He was also crying.

Marik quickly stepped next to the bed and tried to comfort the boy. It only made the child cry harder.

Thoughts racing, Bakura noticed the kid was getting short on breath again. _Crap…_What was wrong? Looking around the small room franticly from the entryway, all he saw was a mess._ Maybe…uh…he needs some air. _

Desperate, Bakura swiftly swept the boy off the bed and carried out of the room. An unnerved Marik followed, worry etched into his face. Stepping past the broken door, Bakura was hit by the night breeze. Outside was _much _colder than inside.

Clenching his teeth, Bakura dumped the kid in the cot before he hurried back into the house.

Furious, Marik tried to shout for his friend. How could he leave the kid like that? In the corner of his eye, though, he saw the boy relax slightly. He wasn't crying anymore, either.

Bakura brushed past him, setting up a chair and placing layers upon layers of blankets on the kid. He checked the boy's forehead, in case he was sick, then placed a folded blanket under his head to act as a pillow. Wrapping himself in a few covers, Bakura slammed into his own seat.

"This sucks," he grumbled.

Marik stared at him in awe, his mouth slightly ajar.

"You sleep inside, it's too cold out here for an Egyptian rat like you." Bakura buried his face into the blankets, but not fast enough. His friend saw the blush.

Scoffing, Marik went inside and grabbed a sleeping bag. Then he settled himself right next to Bakura on the ground, a small smile on his face.

AN: Sorry this chapter was so late. I was gone this weekend for a reunion. Hope you liked it. The second chapter will be more fun. Please review! It gets me motivated to write faster and post sooner.


	3. Breakfast

AN: I'm trying to get on top of things. With school and what not going on, it's hard. Usually, there's not much homework in the first few weeks of school. Boy was I wrong…

Please note: The kid doesn't have wings. It's just an analogy thing.

Chapter Two: Breakfast

Hands reached out. A scream ripped through his throat, but no sound came out. They always gagged him, and tied his hands. He knew that struggling was helpless, but he tried anyway. He couldn't give in. He wouldn't, or else it would all be over.

It hurt. His vision flashed and he cried out. It was too much. All he wanted was for it stop. Just…stop. That way, he wouldn't yearn that feeling of freedom so much. Just thinking about what he could have hurt.

He never really wanted something…except this.

Soaring through the sky with his own wings.

The taste of freedom, the feeling of flying.

The small whimper wrenched Bakura awake. He clenched his teeth as he picked himself up and rested a hand on the child's head. Over the course of the night, it seemed the boy had nightmares…a lot of them. The only thing that kept him from continually twisting and turning was the one thing Bakura hated most: contact. It worked simply with a hand on the temple. Anywhere else, and the kid flipped out.

Grumbling to himself, Bakura cursed his luck for the umpteenth time. Why did he have to bring the tyke home? What the heck was he thinking?

Glancing over at Marik's sleeping bag, Bakura found his friend snoring happily away. He grinned. Marik was the heaviest sleeper he knew. Only water could wake him.

Looking over the cot and out to the ocean, Bakura felt a calm settle on his shoulders. The way the moonlight struck those waves, and how relentlessly the waves hit the shores…This was the only reason why he stayed here: that deep blue held irreplaceable memories.

_Koro, if you could just see me now…_

The body twitched beneath his hand. Bakura took a glimpse down and saw brown eyes staring at him with trepidation.

Bakura cleared his throat. "So you're up." He pulled his hand away quickly, slightly embarrassed.

The kid was silent, just watching.

The teen scratched his head before yawning. Bakura covered his mouth with one hand as he slumped into his chair. "Good morning, I guess."

Nothing.

Sighing heavily, Bakura shook his head and wrapped himself around in the blankets again.

"Look, there's still a few hours before dawn. Try to catch some shut eye."

Bakura closed his eyes and listened hard. His efforts were paid off.

A small voice whispered, "I…I'll try."

It took quite an effort not to smile. Bakura cleared his throat again. "Kid?" Knowing he had the boy's attention for at least a few seconds, he asked, "What's your name?"

When there was no answer, Bakura mentally grumped about it. As he started to even his breathing out, hoping to sleep for at least another hour before he was awaken again, a soft, "Ryou," was heard.

"Mine's Bakura," the teen stated quietly. "Now get some sleep, kiddo."

---  
Next Morning  
---

Marik took the oversized pan of scrambled eggs and bacon outside, three forks in hand. "Bakura, I made-" he paused. The white-haired teen was sound asleep, his chest rising and falling serenely.

Giving a lope-sided smile, he saw the little boy was up.

"Want some breakfast?" he asked melodiously, holding up the food.

The boy stared at him.

Marik made a face. "Do you not like my cooking already?"

The child eagerly shook his head. "M-may I try some?" he asked hesitantly.

A cat-like grin spread across the tanned face. A response! With words! "Of course!" Doing a little dance, Marik pulled a small table out from the house and placed it in front of the cot. Then he placed the pan on it and gave the kid a fork.

"Help yourself, but watch the pan. It's hot."

Digging in with his own fork, Marik swallowed tons of the eggs and a strip of bacon. As he chewed away gleefully he saw the boy wasn't eating.

"You'd better start gobbling up as much as you can before it's all gone, Ryou," Bakura mumbled, stirring awake. Marik's face visibly brightened. He shouted Bakura's name and then handed him a fork as well.

Ryou bit his lower lip. "I…have to wait for him to finish."

Bakura chuckled as he stretched. "Yeah, do that, and no food will be left."

Marik huffed, sticking his nose in the air. "I won't eat it all! I'll leave a strip of bacon just for you, Ryou." He stuffed more eggs into his mouth.

Blushing, the child slowly jabbed a piece of egg with his fork, and ate it. It tasted excellent. More quickly this time, Ryou forked a bit of bacon and down it went.

Everything sped up as a third minuscule trident entered the fray. Bakura's mouth was hanging open as he filled it with as much food as he could get. The Egyptian was treating his fork like a shishkabob, stacking eggs and bacon on the silverware. Ryou gingerly took whatever food was being ignored around the edges.

Bakura saw him, and grinned. As soon as Ryou forked some meat, he jammed his own chunk of metal into the other end, and pulled. Taken aback, Ryou immediately released and Bakura gobbled up his prize.

Each time Ryou went for some food, Bakura was there to steal it. As the kid watched Bakura munch on what had been 'his' egg, his mind was racing. Hesitantly, he punched a slice of bacon. Just as Bakura's fork thrust into it, Ryou retreated and took another strip on the other side of the pan.

Laughing, Marik winked at Ryou while mocking Bakura. Grinning, Bakura waved him off and slightly nodded to Ryou, and didn't attempt to steal from him again.

Ryou smiled. For the first time in a long while, he had a full stomach and actually felt content.  
When Marik got up to clear away the remains of their breakfast, Ryou hopped off the bed and took the table inside. Marik thanked him as he threw the pan into the cluttered sink and strutted back outside.

"So how are you feeling, Ryou?" Bakura asked casually. Egyptian eyes steadily turned to Bakura, flashing in warning. Either Bakura didn't see him, or chose to pay no heed to him.

The child sat on the cot and said, "I feel fine."

Bakura hoisted himself out of the chair and turned toward the stairs of the porch. "All right, then. Let's get going. You watch the house, Marik."

Marik glowered at Bakura's back. He knew that tone, and he hated having to obey it. "I can't believe you," he barked before marching back into the house and slamming the door.

A little taken aback, Ryou cocked his head sideways. "Where are we going?" he asked faintly. "How come Marik isn't coming?"

Lavender eyes impassively studied the boy. "The police station is where we're headed. They'll know what to do with you."

AN: Hrm…yeah…the next chapter should be up shortly. By the end of this week at the latest. Hopefully sooner, though, yes? Please review.


	4. Hands

AN: Okay, now I'm confused. Are we allowed to respond to our reviews or no? I read a story not too long ago, and they replied to their reviews in their stories! Could someone please help me out?

Oh, and if you haven't noticed, I've reedited the first few chapters. No big details, just…they were sloppy at points, so I tried to clean them up a bit. Anyways! Chapter three! This one is a bit…dark…let me just warn you ahead of time. Nothing explicit! (They made a PG-13 movie with kind of the same situation, only theirs is tons different from mine in a lot of perspective. But what happens is the about the same. No, I did not steal the idea from them. But I figured, if they made a movie out of it, this should be okay. Tell me if you don't agree, and I'll have it changed. Unless someone else says it's okay…admin or something)

Chapter Three: Hands

Bakura kept his eyes on the street, trying to focus. _The police station…it's near that long strip of shops, I think. _He glanced back and saw Ryou following him with his eyes glued to the ground. The kid had refused to look at him ever since they had left the sandy shores of Bakura's house while dishing out the silent treatment.

_Well, at least he's not running away, _Bakura thought bitterly. He picked up his pace, slightly pissed that the kid was ignoring him like this. As if he didn't know that Bakura wasn't going to keep him!

The police station was at the end of the street. Silence trailed the two, making Bakura more uncomfortable. The wind picked up and he unconsciously pulled his jacket tighter. It was cold this time of season. The fall equinox was just behind the corner. _Right, it's gonna be cold._ Bakura snuck another look at Ryou, and saw his clothes (the same turtleneck and jeans since their encounter) were really worn, but acceptable. _Yeah, for a bum,_ thought Bakura sarcastically. _It's okay. He's not my problem anymore._

Square in shape, the police station was a low building with just a few windows and two, glass double doors. Inside there was the front office, a private workplace for only officers, and jail cells farthest back.

A great, big yellow sign taped on the double doors said, "_Out for Lunch. Be back in an hour."_ Bakura growled. Geez, what if there was a robbery or something and the police were needed?

Ryou's eyes swept across the sign, his expression blank. Then he looked away, staring north at the harbor.

"Well, depending on when this thing was posted, the officer won't be back for who knows how long," said Bakura.

Ryou chose to ignore him.

Bakura was about to turn away when the door cracked opened.

A man in uniform with a clean-shaven face and high set cheekbones opened the door. He looked young, with cropped bright blonde hair and vibrant blue eyes. He was quite handsome, with a small nose and loose mouth made for smiling.

"May I help you?" he asked politely.

Bakura was speechless. He shrugged, and pointed to Ryou, who was still watching the waterfront.

"Oh, a homeless kid." The officer sadly nodded, stepping outside while closing the door behind him. "Yeah, we've gotten a lot of those lately. You can just leave him with me. I'll take good care of him." He smiled at Bakura warmly. "I'll make sure he ends up with a great home."

Bakura scratched his head. But before he could reply, the officer reached out and touched Ryou's shoulder. The child turned around and stared.

The officer stared back. "Hey, I remember you," he began slowly. "I'm Officer Mateo." Ryou swallowed hard. Mateo smiled gently, saying, "Come inside, boy. It's getting kind of chilly out here. You can stay with me until we find you someone to look after of you, okay?"

Stiffly, Ryou did as he was told.

Officer Mateo chuckled. "All the kids are like that, when they see my uniform."

Bakura nodded slowly, watching the void Ryou go inside.

"Hey, could I come in a minute?" he asked quickly.

Bakura cursed himself. Why the heck did he have to ask? Before the officer could reply, he shoved past him and let himself in.

The glass gate closed behind him. Officer Mateo locked it and grinned as he placed the key in his pocket. "Shall we use the private room? It's easier that way, so no one else comes knocking and such during our lunch break."

Bakura nodded mutely as Ryou followed them both back. _Wonder his lunch is…maybe we interrupted?_

"So…erm…" Officer Mateo blushed as he led them behind the counter. "I'm sorry, I never caught your name."

"Bakura."

"Ah! So you're _that _one." Mateo opened it the door. Everyone filed inside, and upon entering, Bakura took in his surroundings. There were a few chairs in the room, tucked neatly under the single table. The walls were soundproof steel, padded, adding to the mundane atmosphere in the rather spacious room. _It's rather…plain. _Bakura mentally shrugged. Well, this room was only used to take lunch in. This small fishing town rarely had any criminals.

Mateo pulled out a chair for Bakura as he leaned against the desk in the center of the room. "I've heard that you like it rough, you know. Fights and stuff."

Ryou stared at the closed door, obviously not hurt at being left out of the conversation.

"It's what helps me keep in shape," Bakura said curtly, taking the seat gingerly.

"And women? Do you like spending quality time with them?" Mateo winked at Bakura.

"Uh, no," Bakura said flatly.

Mateo smiled. "Me, too! I prefer guys."

Bakura froze. He never heard a guy come out of the closet like that before.

Mateo hopped off the desk, still cheerful, and walked over to Ryou.

"Don't worry, boy, we haven't forgot about you." He steered Ryou to the center, behind the table. "So, Bakura, do you like guys?"

Bakura didn't want to offend the officer, but he didn't know how else to put it. "No." He was fine with gay people, as long as they kept whatever they did in private.

Mateo reached into his pocket and took out a switchblade. Ryou jerked forward, only to be pulled back.

Reflexes allowed the teen halfway out of his chair. However, Mateo held the blade over Ryou's throat. Bakura clenched his fists and halted.

Ryou's eyes reflected dread, almost pleading Bakura to help him.

Bakura felt his palms burn as his fingernails dug in. He stoically demanded, "Don't hurt him."

"Oh? A pretty strong reaction, for someone who doesn't care for anyone but himself," Mateo said icily as he backed away. He pulled the unwilling Ryou along with him and dug his free hand into his other pocket, pulling out handcuffs. "Cuff one of your hands to the table legs." As if he emphasize his order, he pressed the knife a little closer to Ryou's neck.

Gritting his teeth, Bakura did as he was told and knelt to clip one end of the cuffs to a table leg. Anger fueled the sudden rush of adrenaline as his mind raced. He wasn't doing this because he cared about the kid…no. It was because…because…he didn't want to feel that pain. The pain of losing someone close.

The latch closed over his wrist.

"Tug," Mateo ordered. Bakura did so, and the cuff stayed. The smile that Mateo gave him twisted into something ghastly. Moving to a far corner, Mateo retracted the blade and laid it on the ground. Then he threw Ryou onto his back, and slid the boy between his legs.

"I don't know if you remember, boy," Mateo said, panting as he started to pull of Ryou's shirt. Soft, unbroken skin was revealed as Ryou whimpered. "But I'm one of _his _clients." He laughed, but it was rushed as he tried to pull off Ryou's pants.

Mateo's intention became clear to Bakura.

He struggled wildly against the cuff, yanking as hard as he could. "Touch him, and I'll kill you," Bakura irately growled as he silently cursed the manacles. Murderous intent was written all over his face as he repeatedly tore at the lock around his wrist.

The officer firmly rooted his hand on Ryou's scalp and pulled. Ryou yelped and started crying. Baring his teeth, Bakura knelt again, forcing his hands to lay still in his lap.

He permitted himself a rude gesture at Mateo. "Bastard."

Mateo just grinned as he untangled himself. The child called for Bakura, sobbing, but was stilled with a quick backhand.

Bakura opened his mouth to protest. "Don't," the officer warned to Bakura, "say another word. I'll cut him each time you do."

Bakura bit down his tongue, his head about to explode. _I hope you've said your prayers, bitch._ _I'm going to send you down. _His eyes locked with Ryou, but something was wrong…the boy's eyes had turned blank.

Mateo finally got Ryou's jeans off, revealing a pale, unmarked lower body. He hungrily touched everything, fumbling with his own pants. Ryou didn't respond, staring at nothing.

"He wouldn't let us take you," Mateo gasped, his hand rubbing Ryou's thigh. "No matter what price we named, he wouldn't let us. But now…" Mateo finally managed to do away with his denims, grinning like crazy. His hands grew rougher.

Hands. They always touched him and made him feel dirty. Ever since he was first strapped to that bed, hands could do whatever they wanted to him. He always felt powerless, and cried. But _he _didn't like that. He taught him not to cry, not to feel, not to think. Just obey.

Until that albino came and saved him.

There was a flash, and the memory was saved forever.

Then they lost it.

He had run away because they took it away. It was just a tiny slab! Why couldn't he have kept it?

Every time he was on that bed, he wanted to scream. _He _would punish him if he didn't hold still. When there was no one who wanted him, they left him all alone. At first, he didn't know what it felt like to be lonely and empty.

_Koro…_He had shown him what it meant to be alive.

Then they took him back. To _him._

Ryou hadn't even spent that much time with Bakura yet for some reason, he felt drawn to the lavender-eyed teen. Something about him made him…special. Though he seemed cold and mean, and he was, there was something that Bakura gave him.

Hope. Strength. Mind.

Ryou gasped as the hands ruthlessly ravaged his body, but fought the urge to cry. If he did, _he _would discipline him. Mateo finally had had enough and was flipping him over while holding Ryou's hips, trembling in anticipation.

_Please…no…_Ryou thought weakly.

A snarl ripped through the air. "Get the hell off!" Bakura roared.

Ryou saw Mateo's eyes grow wide when they looked up, and before he could scream, he was torn off of the small boy.

Bakura and Mateo rammed into the wall, both stunned by impact. Bakura recovered first and stumbled to his feet. As the officer was getting up, he rammed a knee into his face. "What the hell's wrong with you!" Bakura shouted. A nose broke. Mateo shrieked bloody murder as Bakura picked him up. The officer struck the teen's throat, causing him to cough. Bakura threw him into the wall, and he fainted. Bakura advanced toward him but the image of Ryou blazed in his mind's eye.

Coughing, Bakura knelt next to Ryou, throwing his coat over the child's exposed body. "Ryou?" he hoarsely mumbled. _Please don't be too late…_he thought desperately. Blank eyes turned to Bakura slowly. "Oh, god…" Sobs racked the teen's frame as he sat on the ground and pulled Ryou close. Little by little, the mist over the chocolate dispersed, leaving scared eyes with unshed tears in its wake.

When Bakura looked down at the boy again, relief washed over him.

"Ryou, I'm so sorry," he murmured, slightly rocking back and forth, trying to stop his crying. "I'll watch over you from now on. No one will ever lay a hand on you._ No one._"

Ryou cried hard, holding onto Bakura's arm tightly.

AN: I hope it wasn't too dark. I tried to type it without too much…detail? Anyways, please review. If it is too dark, I'll re-edit it if need be. Erm…yeah.


	5. A New Bakura

AN: Wow, I got a lot of reviews really fast. (grins) That's cool! Hehe. To thank you, here's the next chapter a few days sooner…

Sorry it's a little short. It's kind of a conclusion to this particular episode in the story, so…yeah.

Roguex1979: Thanks for the info! How did Bakura get free? He broke it off. You know how there's a chain that attaches the two handcuffs together? Well, he broke it. Erm, I changed the rating to T, and I reposted the second chapter. Hehe, sorry about that. Thanks a bunch for reviewing!

dragonlady222: You are so cool! You've reviewed and read all my stories, and I really appreciate it. And which memories? The one with the flash and a moment being saved forever? That was Ryou's. Sorry it wasn't clear. Thanks for your continued support and reviews!

Anime WarriorSkye: Hehe. Glad you liked it. Hope you continue reading.

Cooray123: Yeah, I am too. I'm really grateful for all your feedback. (grins)

Yami-Echo: Really? Cool! If you like this one, you might like 'Or So' more. Not that I'm trying to advertise it or anything, but it's just that more people end up liking that one. Thanks a lot for the review and for the compliment! I hope you enjoy the story.

Chapter Four: A New Bakura

The press beat the law enforcers to the station, cameras at ready, lights blazing. Apparently, someone nearby had heard screaming coming from within and conveyed it as soon as he could.

By the time some of the policemen got into their quarters, Bakura was untouchable. No one dared to go near him, especially after he sent one of them sailing across the room.

Bakura had one demand, enunciating each word quite clearly. "Get. Me. Your. Boss."

Hands shot to radios in record speed.

Head Inspector Lyle was one who liked to be in charge. He couldn't stand taking orders. So when Bakura demanded that Lyle disperse the crowd in front of the building, he shook his head.

After ordering his clueless men out of the room (they didn't want to go near Bakura to listen to what happened), Lyle turned to Bakura and replied, "I can't do that. I can try, but I most certainly won't succeed. It's a waste of time."

Bakura glared at him, cradling a silent and vigilant Ryou in his arms. Coldly, he said, "Just like it was a waste of time to interview your recruits."

Ryou shuddered. His body still burned from Mateo's touch. Bakura's hold on him tightened, and the child buried his head into the teen's chest.

Barely restraining his anger, Lyle swallowed hard. _Look, I'm trying! There's just so many…_When he saw the flicker of unrestrained hatred and guilt in Bakura's eyes, shame washed over him and he heaved a sigh. "Look, I'm sorry," Lyle muttered.

"Sorry is not going to cut it!" Bakura snapped. Ryou fisted a part of Bakura's shirt, vaguely shaking his head. Taking a deep breath, Bakura slowly said, "The least you could do is keep the media away."

"How can they give up this story?" Lyle immediately regretted his words.

"Story! This ain't a friggin story! A kid nearly got raped in _your_ police station, the center of justice, asshole. What would the people think of that?" Bakura ranted. "I can't believe you. Why the hell are you the chief officer? Are you in it for the same reason as the guy I busted up?"

Lyle looked Bakura straight in the eye, met with a steady gaze. "That was not my place," he evenly said. "I apologize. I swear, no one will hear of this and no report will be filed. There is a backdoor you may use. It leads to the docks, near where you live, I believe." Lyle touched a piece of the wall. It gave in and revealed a small passage way with empty cells aligned on each side.

Then he averted his gaze, his eyes hazy.

Bakura stepped past him. "I lost myself in the rush of wanting to be the town hero." Lyle scoffed. Bakura froze, listening. "It's funny, because I promised myself that I wouldn't be like that. My goal was to be the best officer I can be, to help people in need and to aid the weak." Lyle smiled weakly. "Guess I'm not built for this."

"No." The Head Inspector wasn't the only one who was taken aback by Bakura's answer.

Bakura himself was surprised. Ever since his crash with Ryou, he gradually started seeing things in a different perspective, one that was not so caustic.

"It's reality. It's okay to blindly chase a dream…" Bakura sadly smiled, turning away. "The backdoor's past the cells, right?"

Lyle nodded, then remembered he couldn't see him. "Yeah."

As the white-haired teen made his way past the cells, he called back, "You're the one that kept at it, on Koro's case. So I guess you can't be that bad. Don't quit."

The Head Inspector scoffed, but couldn't help grinning. When Bakura and the child were gone, Lyle slowly went over what he was going to say to the crowd.

"_Ladies and gentlemen, I'm here to inform you that an officer accidentally shot himself in the leg…mentally ill…"_

---  
Home  
---

Marik was leaning against the fixed entrance of the house, arms crossed over his chest. He took one look at his exhausted friend before mutely going inside.

"I suppose he's still mad at me," Bakura murmured. He carried the sleeping child after Marik and settled the boy on the couch.

Fumbling with the closet that held the blankets, Bakura kept himself from cursing. He had no right to be frustrated, not after what Ryou had gone through.

He finally got a few out and knelt next to the couch. Ryou was shivering, fast asleep, and dreaming. Slowly, Bakura peeled his coat off and placed the blankets comfortably around the child.

Marik came out of his room, which was left of Bakura's, with a pillow. Wordlessly he handed to Bakura, who positioned it under Ryou's head.

Whenever Ryou's breathing came faster, Bakura gently placed his hand on Ryou's. Steadily, the fear would leave the boy and Ryou would be fast asleep again.

The Egyptian watched and waited behind the couch, his eyes unreadable as he studied Bakura.

Bakura knew what he wanted: an explanation. Staring at his hands, he quietly began.

"It all started when we reached the police station…"

Marik listened intently, a sound never passing his lips. Bakura had known him long enough to know that he was ireful. Only for some reason, Bakura took his punishment wordlessly, which was something he never did.

"…Ryou cried my name once, but I couldn't do anything…nothing to stop that asshole from touching him…" Whatever resentment lingered in Marik vanished when Bakura began to cry.

Never before had the Egyptian seen his best friend like this. He was always firm, confident, self-assured. Marik heard the rest of the tale before he settled himself next to Bakura on the ground.

"I'll watch him. Get some sleep," Marik urged.

Bakura stubbornly shook his head. "I can't. I promised."

The tanned youth couldn't help smiling a little. "You can't stay up all night, everyday. Don't you want to be there when he wakes up?"

Hesitantly, Bakura nodded. "What if he has a nightmare?"

"You'll know."

The two shared a genial silence before Bakura nearly stunned the living life out of Marik with a few words.

Bakura gazed thoughtfully at Ryou. "Marik, I want to keep him," he mumbled sleepily. Imperceptibly, he slipped out of consciousness, his head resting softly on the child's side.

Soon, Marik followed, his thoughts drifting. _I bet you'd be pleased, Koro… After seeing how your death practically destroyed him, I know I am. I just hope…that it's not too late. Don't you, Koro? _

AN: So! Will Bakura succeed in adopting our little boyo?

And what would Koro say? He'd say, "OF COURSE!" lol. I hope you enjoyed this one. The next chapter will introduce a new twist…oops, I've said too much. Please review!


	6. Faolan

AN: Whew, I hate Mondays. I have to work, and it's like the first day back to school again, after a relaxing weekend…(mutters) Ah, well. Here's the next chapter. Enjoy.

Yami-Echo: Hehe. You're funny. I try to be as fast as I can. It's a pet peeve of mine, how people don't update until a week later. I lose interest too soon, or just forget. But there are a lot of good authors that do that. I also think that Bakura beating up Ryou, then falling in love with him is just a _little _overused. I don't mean any offense to anyone. Anyways! Thanks for your reply!

Roguex1979: Yeah, that'd be bad. Erm…Koro will be introduced more clearly later in the story. He isn't in any of my first stories, and he's not a character from YGO. Don't worry, I'm not that big of a fan of Yugioh either. I just like the complex characters, ya know? Thanks a lot for your review!

dragonlady222: A mental institution, huh? (grins) I like that idea. But don't worry. Mateo's long gone. Things are just getting started, in a way…Thanks so much for your feedback!

Anime WarriorSkye: My favorites are definitely Bakura and Ryou. I also like Marik (if you haven't noticed. Lol) and Yami's okay. I like Seto, too, but Bakura and Ryou are easier to write about. Maybe in the future…Thanks for the comment!

Chapter Five: Faolan

The small cry tore threw the air. Trying to shake his drowsiness off, Bakura lurched out of his seat next to the cot outside (the couch didn't work for very long) and gently picked Ryou up. Whimpering, the little boy clenched Bakura's shoulder tightly, his eyes closed tight.

Bakura tried to comfort Ryou, murmuring softly in his ear. Moving his stiff arm, he tiredly proceeded to rub circles on the kid's back. When Ryou's hold loosened and his breathing came even again, Bakura laid him carefully back on the cot. Sighing, he sat back down and pulled his blankets over him.

If only he had been a little faster…or stronger…then Ryou wouldn't be tormented like this. He's jaw tautened. It was no use worrying about what he could have done, no matter how much it hurt. He just had to make sure nothing like that happened to Ryou ever again. And to do that, he had to get stronger.

The little boy shivered, turning onto his side. Bakura got up and draped one of his own covers over the boy and sat back down. He shut his eyes, his body demanding some rest.

Stirring from his sleeping bag, Marik tiredly sat up and wiped his eyes with the back of his hand. Bakura slowly opened his eyes, and smiled at his friend.

"Another bad dream?" the Egyptian asked sleepily.

Bakura mutely nodded, watching the small sleeping form.

"At this rate," Marik said, "you'll never get any sleep."

Bakura shrugged. "I'm getting bits here and there."

Grinning, Marik snuggled back into his warm bedroll. Bakura was even more defensive when it came down to actual effort. He never really _tried _at anything after Koro left.

"Aren't you cold? I'm freezing."

Bakura was about to answer when the first rays of sunlight hit him. Blinking rapidly to get rid of the sunspots, Bakura glanced down at Marik. His friend was already in deep slumber, lightly snoring.

It had been three days since he had brought Ryou to his house. Showing much more improvement, the tyke was actually sleeping peacefully for six to eight hours at a time, a three hundred percent increase from his first night.

Grunting, Bakura pushed himself off the chair, barely able to stand. He felt so tired! His legs felt so sore, and his mind was jumbled like crazy. Scratching his head, he yawned and shuffled inside with every intent of making breakfast.

As soon as he walked inside the small house, fatigue hit him again and again like a sledgehammer, causing him to fall to his knees. Bakura felt his stomach contract and tried to breathe. Gasping, he pitched forward but caught himself with his hands, wincing.

His gagging reflexes kicked in and sent him down. The torrent of red was the last thing he saw before he blacked out.

Marik heard everything. Scrambling out of his sleeping bag, he ran into the house with concern written all over his face.

Bakura had collapsed just behind the couch, probably on the way to the kitchen, in a small puddle of blood.

"Shit!" Marik grabbed his friend's arm and slung it around his shoulders. He hauled Bakura up and set him on the couch. Trying not to panic, he scurried to the kitchen in search of a phone.

He dialed quickly and waited for someone to pick up.

"Konichiwa!" a bright and cheery voice exclaimed.

"Hello? Zhuson Hospital?"

"Yes, you've reached the one and only hospital in the western region of-"

"My friend's in danger! You've got to send an ambulance!" Marik shouted.

The lady sounded stunned as she stuttered, "Y-yes, right…o-of course. Could you tell me the location?"

Speaking so fast that it was nearly impossible to tell what he was saying, Marik had to repeat the address at least twice.

"And his condition? Is it critical?" the lady asked waveringly.

"Heck, yes! He's bleeding, lady!"

Shocked, the lady swallowed hard and said, "Please, don't t-try to move him, and stay away. Please wait until the experts get there."

By the time he had hung up, Ryou was up.

Trembling, the child asked what was wrong. He had never seen or heard Marik so uptight.

Marik instantly stepped forward, waving his arms wildly. _He can't see the blood, _was his only thought. He picked up Ryou and said, "Bakura fainted a minute ago, and I just called the hospital. They're on their way."

Ryou bit his lip as Marik set him back down on the cot.

"Why? What's wrong with him?" Ryou's voice quivered, his face fearful. "Can't I see him?"

Marik opened his mouth, but no words came out. Instead, he himself stood there, shaking.

Ryou looked up at the tanned teen and apologized. "You don't have to tell me," Ryou whispered. There was no reaction from Marik so Ryou tried again. "He'll…He'll be okay, right?" Still nothing. Ryou felt helpless. What would Bakura do? Marik never cried… Uncertain yet unyielding, Ryou slowly slipped out of the cot and wrapped his arms around Marik's waist.

The Egyptian laughed a little, trying to wipe away his tears before hugging the boy back. They stood like that until the medics arrived.

---  
Zhuson Hospital (again, this is fictional. And the Zhu is pronounced 'ju'…so yeah)  
---

Marik's knees bounced briskly, staring intently at the bright red ER sign.

Ryou's gaze was on the ground. As people swept by, he edged closer to Marik. The paramedics words were clear in his mind, reverberating like a bouncy ball in his head.

_What the hell was he thinking? He could have nearly killed himself!_

Ryou felt the tears well up, but forced them down. He had to be strong. Not only for himself…for Bakura, for Marik.

Without the teen's presence near, Ryou felt lost all over again. It was still comforting that Marik was here. If both had disappeared from his side…Ryou shuddered at the thought and quickly discarded it.

Much more calm and in control, Marik went over his options. He could either ask the hospital staff to allow him to stay with Bakura, or force them. He liked the second choice.

A voice broke through his thoughts. "Sir? Mr. Ishtar?"

Growling, Marik glared at the disrupting man.

Bald, heavyset, and dressed in rather colorful robes, the man bowed. "Mr. Ishtar, I don't believe we have met. I have heard great things about you."

Ryou saw Marik's eyes turn cold in recognition as he demanded, "What the heck do you want with us now?"

The man smiled, as if Marik had just complimented him. "I have a favor to ask of you…Or rather, of Master Bakura."

Marik stood, his hands curled tightly into fists. "We want nothing to do with you, or Tei."

The man held up his hands in surrender. "Alas, Master Teishin did not order this. Instead, Faolan asked himself."

Stepping aside, a small, pale boy was revealed. With very light blue hair and playful gold eyes, Faolan grinned. Looking no older than twelve, he wore a business-like suit and necktie.

Ryou slid his hand into Marik's, looking at the pair of strangers with scared and wary eyes. Reassuringly, Marik gently squeezed it.

Marik stared at Faolan. The child he remembered had looked so innocent. And if he remembered correctly, followed his father's orders like a robot. "What do you want?" he asked in a challenging tone.

Faolan looked down, shame written all over him. This was new to Marik. Shame was something he hadn't imagined Faolan could harbor. "I…I don't want to stay with father any longer…"

Silence met his request.

He didn't want to think about this right now. Sighing, Marik shook his head. "We'll have to ask Bakura…"

The bald man looked both ways curiously before saying, "Where _is_ Master Bakura? And why are you at the hospital?"

Marik blandly said, "He fell ill."

AN: Well? What do you think? I promise it gets better. Please review!


	7. Sweet, Icy

AN: (grins) All those reviews! Thanks a lot, people! You people rock. So, once again, here's the next chapter a few days sooner. (And it's a bit rushed. I apologize. It's just that, I'll be gone this weekend, and I want to get this up before then. The next chapter's going to be good, though. Reveals some things about Koro.)

Yami-Echo: lol. You'll see what happens. I hope you like the outcome. Sorry if it's a little rushed. Thanks for your review!

dragonlady222: How come you feel bad for Ryou? (grins) Playing…what's it called, the devil's advocate? Thanks for the feedback!

Roguex1979: Oh! I see, sorry 'bout that. I used to watch the American version, too, whenever I babysat. I hope you like this chapter. It's a little rushed, but just note: Bakura is still sick at the end of it. Thank you for your review!

Anime WarriorSkye: I would've made it longer, but I can't. I don't have the time, but I hope you like what I did with it. It's a bit…hurried. I left out a bit of details and stuff, too. I hope you don't mind. I'll make it up in the next chapter.

The Vampire Prince: Yeah, it's a little hint to his past. You'll find out more about it later…along with more about Koro. Thanks for all the reviews!

Chapter Six: Sweet, Icy

Faolan's face fell, and worry was evident in his odd eyes. "F-fell ill? Bakura? What, why!"

Sitting back down, Marik shrugged. "If Bakura wants you to know, he'll tell you."

Just then, the doors to the ER burst open. Bakura stalked out of the room, angrily pulling off the wires all over his upper body.

"You, get back here! We aren't done!" a doctor shouted, running out. In his hand was an anesthetic needle.

"You never even started!" Bakura snarled, slightly wobbling as he tried to walk forward. Everyone in the waiting room stared at him. Bakura took a few steps before his body gave. Hacking, he fell hard on his hands and knees. He nearly fainted as blood threatened to sear up through his throat again.

Marik reached him first. He helped his friend into a sitting position, scowling.

"What the heck are you doing?" Marik demanded.

Faolan knelt before Bakura and studied his face with concern. "I…I don't think you should be moving around, Bakura."

His eyes clouding, Bakura faintly said, "Faolan?" The said boy grinned and nodded. He got up and tried to pull the teen up. Bakura held steadfast, saying, "I am_ not _going back in there."

"But you're hurt!" someone shouted. Bakura glanced in front of him. In Faolan's place was a squatting Ryou. His mouth was a straight line, completely resolute.

"Go back in there, Kura!" Ryou commanded stubbornly. "If you get more sick…"

"You won't be able to keep your promise," Marik quietly added.

Faolan silently sat back. He didn't know what was going on.

About to shoot back a retort, Bakura fell into another coughing fit. Marik rested a hand on his shoulder until it passed. Then he helped his friend to his feet as Bakura clenched his fists.

"I…I'll get better," he murmured.

"With the doctor's help." Ryou leaned his head against Bakura's waist and softly added, "please."

He paused. _I can't refuse him when he puts it that way. _The teen straightened himself. _Marik, Ryou…you guys suck. _Mentally, he grinned. _But that's okay. _Bakura stiffly turned around and slowly proceeded back into the ER like nothing had happened. Stunned eyes watched him go, and saw the doctors hesitantly close the doors.

Faolan's brow creased. Who the heck is this little kid? As far as he could remember, no one told Bakura what to do…

Marik grinned at Ryou, who smiled back.

---  
Room 284  
---

Marik softly stroked Ryou's hair as he kept an eye on Bakura sleeping. After feeding some blood into him, the doctors had said that he would be in a comatose state. It was day three, and Ryou was getting really fretful. He wasn't the only one.

The Egyptian shifted in his seat, uncomfortable. His chair perfectly matched the rest of the small room. With a reclining white bed and several machines, it looked like any normal hospital room.

Faolan had gone to get some things to drink a while ago. Since then, Marik and Ryou had fallen silent. They were both apprehensive, fearing that very small chance of losing Bakura, even though the general practitioners said it was nearly impossible.

Something beeped. Ryou jumped.

It was nothing…until the white-haired teen stirred. Ryou hopped off his seat and waited patiently by the bed as Bakura groaned loudly and stretched.

"Good morning," Ryou declared.

"G'morning." Bakura exhaled, his shoulders drooping. Leaning back, he reached for the control for the bed. The mattress altered into a sitting position, and Bakura gratefully leaned back. His gaze fell on Ryou's white mane.

"How do you feel?" Marik asked.

"Like shi-…Like cow poo…"

Marik grinned. Cussing right away was always a good sign.

Ryou was nearly bouncing at his side. "Are you sure? If you feel sick, that's okay. We can wait longer."

Slowly, Bakura smirked. He actually felt very refreshed, but he could feel the fatigue just waiting to break in.

He pulled Ryou up onto the bed. "I feel fine, kiddo." Ryou looked at him doubtfully. "Want me to prove it?" Ryou started laughing as Bakura relentlessly tickled him.

"M-Marik, help me!" Ryou begged, laughing and squirming.

The Egyptian grinned widely before diving in, attacking all of Bakura's sensitive spots. Laughing himself, Bakura's eyes flashed as he went for Marik. Ryou clung onto Bakura for dear life as they all tumbled off the bed.

The door slammed opened as Faolan rushed in. "What happened?"

For a moment, there was silence before uproars of laughter. Confused, Faolan's expression changed as his odd-colored eyes fell on Bakura.

"You're up!" Faolan cried. He scurried to Bakura side, hugging him.

Marik got up with Ryou hanging onto his back. Placing the boy down slowly, Marik ruffled Ryou's hair before saying he was going to get a doctor as he left.

On the ground, Faolan was still happy as a clam, talking a mile a minute to Bakura.

"Can I stay with you? Bakura? Can I?"

Bakura didn't want to think about this. It felt like his head was going to split in two…but he couldn't tell anyone. He wanted to go home. "For now, I guess you can…"

Faolan squealed, and started talking even faster.

Ryou stared at them before Bakura peeled Faolan off of him.

The kid would not let go! Bakura politely told his cousin to get off, but Faolan ignored him as he chattered on.

"And so, he finally was like, 'Fine! Fine! I give up! You're too good anyways!' I took home the-"

Bakura clamped a hand over the unstopping orifice. "Faolan, let go. Now."

Smiling sheepishly, Faolan immediately stood up.

Muttering under his breath, Bakura picked himself up and saw Marik come in with a doctor in tow.

"Look, doc," Bakura rushed, "I feel as healthy as ever. I don't need anymore of this stuff. Can't I leave?"

The wizened old man blinked. Then he glanced down at his clipboard and read over the test results at his own pace. _It says here, that he's not ready. Needs to rest up…All this spirit in the young man…it can't possibly stay boxed in here._ Mutely, he slowly nodded. "You may go," he said slowly. "On one condition."

Biting back a groan, the teen asked, "Which is?"

The old man leisurely said, "Get sleep. No skipping. At least 12 hours a day. All three meals as well."

_Well, it's better than staying here._ Bakura nodded before he took Ryou's hand. "Thanks." Then he left, before the physician could change his mind.

---  
A few minutes later…  
---

Strutting in, four men cornered a nurse, who happened to be cleaning room 284. A smelly cast prevented the lady from screaming as one of the suited guys shoved her against a wall.

"Gus, Gus! Nice and easy, with the lady. Just…make sure she doesn't make a sound," said the man with sunglasses, grinning.

The biggest man and the thinnest one watched the doorway as the one with sunglasses coldly told the nurse, "White haired kid. About ten, maybe nine, maybe eight. I dunno. _Was _he here?"

Frantically the woman nodded, tearing up.

"_Is_ he here?"

A shake.

"Do you know where he went?"

Another shake.

There was a thoughtful silence. "Gus, knock her out. We're out of here."

Gus, the man with the broken wrist, nodded wickedly. "Sure thing, Blake." The nurse screeched as blackness hit her.

The injured man rejoined Blake and the rest as soon as he could.

"So where're we headed, Blake?" Gus asked anxiously.

The leader ignored him as he walked on.

Inwardly, Gus sighed. Only time would tell.

---  
A few blocks away  
---

Bakura took a deep breath, and actually felt a little revitalized at the smell of the fish town. _Not good, already a little tired._ Bakura slowed down a little, expending as little energy as possible. Walking past Fay's, he slightly waved. He was met with a very, very vivacious hello. _I must be getting old and sentimental, _he thought as he shook his head. _This town is growing on me. _

Ryou was smiling, his hand in Bakura's, while the wind hit him. _I like this place. It reminds me of Koro. _

Faolan was still following them, and still talking. Marik was getting a little irritated, but he was a nice fellow. He wouldn't tell the kid to shut it.

But Bakura would, because he was getting tired and annoyed.

However, before he could, Marik gasped. Everyone turned to him in surprise, waiting for him to explain.

"Let's get some ice cream!" Marik said excitedly.

Ryou cocked his head sideways. "I-Ice? C-cream?"

"What, have you never heard of it?" Bakura joked. There was a silence. When no answer came, he grinned. "Ice cream it is!"

"Excellent idea!" Faolan cheered.

Marik led the way eagerly, always telling them to hurry. Laughing, Bakura kept his pace. Ryou felt some of Marik's anticipation and tried not to urge his keeper a little faster. Bakura didn't quicken his pace. He didn't want to tire out before they got home. Faolan also was prancing around with Marik, talking once again.

When they reached the ice cream parlor, Marik and Faolan raced in. Ryou tightened his grip as zeal coursed through his veins.

"Chocolate!" Marik was saying, as Bakura and Ryou walked in. "And vanilla and strawberry and orange sherbet and coffee and mint chocolate chip!"

Faolan, giggling, pointed to the Gold Medal Ribbon, and politely asked the cashier for a single scoop.

Bakura whapped Marik on the head as he pasted him. Marik laughed, and felt reassured that Bakura was doing fine so far. _I guess it's because he's not moving around any more than he has to._

Leading Ryou to the list of flavors, Bakura waited patiently for the child to pick.

There were so many choices! Ryou tried to read them all, but knew he was keeping Bakura waiting. He bit his lip and looked at Bakura hoplessly.

"There's too many!" Ryou said, almost whining. "Bakura, pick for me."

Grinning, the teen shrugged. "Let's start with something basic, then. Vanilla, chocolate, or strawberry?"

Ryou blinked, his mind whirling. Finally, he blurted, "Vanilla!"

When the cold cone was handed to him, Ryou was amazed. Everyone was already out of the door and on the way home, biting happily away. Tentatively, Ryou dug his teeth in.

He jerked back. That was flipping cold! His teeth burning, Ryou feebly saw Faolan and Marik gnaw away.

Bakura saw his problem. "Lick it," he simply said, and followed his own advice.

Ryou swallowed hard before slowly doing so.

It was the best thing that he had ever tasted.

AN: I'm sorry it went a little fast. Please review! In the next chapter, you'll find that Bakura will sleep a LOT. (He's sick and tired, what do you expect?) And from there, I'll slow down a little. Just wanted to get the next chapter up, before Friday. (I can't update until Monday or Tuesday, because I've got a wedding/planning to go to.)


	8. Koro 0 Waiting

AN: Geez, back from the wedding thingy! It was soooo long! Anyways! Here's the next chapter. It reveals a little more about Koro, I guess.

The Vampire Prince: I like ice cream on occasion. Like right now! It sounds pretty good…especially chocolate. Hehe. Thanks for the review!

dragonlady222: I think you'll like this chapter…maybe. Lol. Don't want to make any wrong predictions, just in case. Anyways, thanks for the review!

Roguex1979: I think there was a lot of confusion over that. Erm…right after I updated, I reposted it because I forgot half of the story. Maybe that's why you didn't get an alert. (shrugs) I've heard a lot about this 'Noa' but who exactly is he? Sorry, I don't watch the shows or anything, so…yeah. Thanks for the review! (And what do you mean, what does he got? If you mean disease-wise, it's something you get if you overexert yourself a _lot_. A girl at my school got it once. It was scary.)

Yami-Echo: lol. I'm glad you liked the previous chapter! I had a hard time with the ending. I couldn't decide between adding in the ice cream scene, or putting in another serious one…Glad I chose the right one. Thanks for the review!

Anime WarriorSkye: (grins) I usually take a long time to update, too. However, since it was summer when I started this one, it was easy to update. Now, school is in the way again. But education comes first, right? Thanks for the review!

Chapter Seven: Koro/Waiting

Lights flashed as it happened again. Everything and anything he had downed in the past few hours came back out. So much for trying to eat normally…

He wasn't finished. Gagging again, stomach acid and blood seared his throat as they forced their way out. Bakura remained on his hands and knees a little more, gasping. One hand wiped away the blood at the edge of his mouth as he tried to get back into his bed.

Marik's hands shook as he quickly scoured the wooden floor of that awful red. "B-Bakura, maybe you need to go back to the hospital."

His friend didn't respond. Marik glanced up and found him to be asleep, halfway in the covers. Poor Bakura. He didn't want to stay at the hospital because he couldn't safeguard Ryou. But how was he going to watch over the child in this condition?

Marik considered dragging him back to the hospital. However, a small part of him didn't want to. With Bakura here, he felt some kind of sense of home.

_I'm being selfish. He's sick, and here I am, keeping him away from medical help for my own selfish reasons._ Marik clenched his fists. _But Bakura would hate me if I took him back…_

He was caught…caught in an intricate web.

He couldn't even keep an eye on Ryou! Marik gently lifted the white-haired teen into the right position on the mattress. As he pulled the covers over him, he felt regret. Faolan was watching Ryou, and for some reason, he didn't like it. He wanted to keep Ryou company, keep his mind off Bakura. Teach him poker and blackjack, sitting next to a resting Bakura…

But, damn it, Faolan talked too much. Bakura would never get enough sleep!

Marik sighed. The kids were just outside. He could join them, but he wanted to stay by Bakura's side.

A web…a big, ugly web.

---

In the living room

---

_Please get better, please get better, please get better, please get-_

"Want to play a game?" Faolan asked in a monotonous voice.

Ryou snapped out of his thoughts. Looking up, he shyly asked Faolan to repeat himself.

"Would you like to play a game?"

Trying to hide his slight frustration, Ryou nodded. He wanted to go and visit Bakura. "Sure. Which one?"

Faolan thought for a moment. "Cards. There are like, a billion games you can play with cards."

Nodding, Ryou got up and fetched a deck. Faolan shuffled and dealt really fast. However, Ryou had no idea what game they were playing.

Faolan's hands moved swiftly around, lining up some of the cards.

"I win!" he said, revealing his hand.

"Oh…" Ryou blushed. "I'm sorry, but…I don't know how to play. Could you teach me?"

Fighting back a groan, Faolan smiled. "Yeah, I can do that."

For the next half hour they ended up playing some Chinese game. Of course, Faolan won most of them, though Ryou triumphed a few times himself.

Dinner time rolled by, and again, they ordered pizza. It was the third night in a row. With Bakura sick, Marik didn't have the time to cook. Obviously, Faolan and Ryou couldn't cook either.

Faolan knew it would be at least another hour until the pie arrived. He sat in the kitchen with his head in his arms, thinking. Ryou sat across from him, staring into space.

"Say, do you know who Koro is?" Faolan asked in a slightly muffled voice.

Ryou cocked his head sideways. "Koro?"

"Yeah…You kind of look like him. He's about Bakura's age, with white hair and green eyes."

_Sounds like that guy…_Ryou thought silently. _The one who picked me up that night…_

Faolan stared at him. Ryou resembled Koro almost too much for his taste, since Koro _was_ his favorite cousin. Except for the eyes. Koro had had dreamy eyes, determined and always laughing. But this kid…it was like there was something dark behind those chocolate orbs.

"I…I think I've heard of him, and seen him, too," the little boy said bit by bit. "Other than that, I don't know have a clue about him."

"I know that he's Bakura's friend," Faolan offered. "Best friend, in fact. Until that day when he was found…dead…" Ryou nearly fell over, but Faolan missed it as he continued. "Died from blood loss, from bullet wounds."

Ryou felt his nerves tingle. _Best friend._

"Police think it was a fight of some kind." The blue-haired boy shrugged. "As far as I know, Koro was fast and strong…awesomely strong. He couldn't be beat in an fair fight." There was a fire burning in Faolan's eyes, of rage and of hate. "I won't forgive the people who took away my cousin."

"C-cousin?"

Nodding, Faolan excitedly said, "He was crazy good at everything! Well, except gardening. I don't get it. He was so great at so many things, yet he chose to garden most of his time." Then he added haltingly, "But he is…was…the best cousin I ever had."

There was a kind of amiable silence before Faolan broke it.

"Our family is very strict. They demand high things, set high expectations. Koro always excelled in academics. He was really smart. I remember him always helping Bakura catch up," Faolan said with a grin. "He also helped me on occasion. But his father was never pleased…and Bakura's, too. Koro got kicked out one day, so Bakura ran away with him."

Ryou smiled. He could see Bakura running away.

"They got a place of their own, and for a few years, it worked."

The bell rang.

Faolan jumped off his seat. "Food's here!" he exclaimed, running for the door. "Pizza, pizza! Cheese and pineapple!"

Ryou moved slower than the blue-haired boy, deep in thought. He moved toward Bakura's room (He had to tell Marik the food was here) while he tried to puzzle out the problem whirling around in his head. When he reached Marik, however, a loud squeak was heard.

Still. Everything was still. Sound, light, movement.

The Egyptian froze, his eyes narrowing as he quietly shut the door behind him. "Where's Faolan?" he whispered.

"He got the door," Ryou murmured, staring at the entrance to the hut.

Before Marik could even curse, a chuckle was heard.

A man with a cast draped himself on the couch, stretching lazily. Marik felt Ryou stiffen beside him. "You've led us on quite a chase, little one," the intruder hissed. "Wouldn't you agree, Jorge?"

Marik felt like a gnome as an enormous man stepped forward and nodded. In his arms was Faolan, his arms pulled behind his back, his colorful language muffled by a giant hand.

"Mithos…wants you back," Jorge slowly said. "Right, Gus? And…Blake told us…to come and fetch you…for Mithos…"

Ryou shook his head slowly at first. "I don't want to go back," was what he wanted to say, but nothing came out.

Slowly, Gus got off the couch and pulled out a gun. He cocked it.

Marik scowled, his fists clenched in anticipation of a fight. _No fair! _he screamed in his mind. _Cheating little…_

"Kid, come to me now," Gus demanded coolly, pointing the gun at Marik. "Or I'll shoot."

Marik boldly stepped forward, blocking Ryou from Gus's path. "You aren't going anywhere with him," he said icily.

Gus impassively raised the gun and shot the ceiling. Marik didn't flinch. Ryou let out a short scream. The child sunk to the ground, his hands over his ears, trembling. Faolan was limp now, his eyes wide in fear.

Next, the firearm was leveled at the Egyptian's chest.

"Move. We're here to take the kid back."

Ryou shoved back Marik, throwing his arms wide. "Don't shoot!" Before Marik could grab him, Ryou scampered to Gus, repeating himself, "Don't shoot!"

Gus smiled pervasively. "That's a good boy." As he reached out to take ahold of Ryou's turtleneck, Marik launched himself at Gus.

The blow knocked both of them off their feet. With the butt-end of the gun, Gus slammed Marik into unconsciousness, and would've smashed his head in had Ryou not interfered.

"Don't hurt him!" the child demanded, holding Gus's arm back. "I did as you said, so stop." He tried not to look at Marik's crumpled form. He couldn't risk crying, not in front of Gus here and now…otherwise, he may kill Marik just for the fun of it.

Gus stared at him. "I've never even heard you say so much in your life," he finally muttered. Balling a bunch of Ryou's shirt in his fist, Gus stood up and traded looks with Jorge. "You're on guard duty," he said. "We've got another hour at least, right?"

The giant man nodded.

Gus then took the wavering Ryou into the first room he could find.

Bakura's room.

"Damn guy's hogging the bed," Gus murmured, indicating the sleeping Bakura. He shoved Ryou into a corner, glaring at him as if to tell him not to move. Then he yanked the covers off the teen and threw him out. Literally.

Ryou bit back a cry, seeing Bakura tossed about like…like a doll…so lifeless, so pale.

His thoughts were cut short by Gus.

"You have no idea what it's like back home," Gus said, tossing Ryou onto the bed as he shut the door. He sat on the edge of the mattress, grinning. "Mithos can't wait for you to be back!"

Ryou was silent. He tried to stare at the ceiling, the walls, anything to keep his mind off of what Gus was about to do.

"I've missed you myself." Gus turned to him, reaching for his turtleneck. He smiled, but it only scared Ryou. "Even though I've never taken you, the way you-" He moaned as he ran his hand up and down Ryou's chest. "You are _so _soft." Both hands fingered his chest before moving to his back and traveling lower…

Ryou slammed his eyes closed as his body shuddered in slight pain. Why the hell did he think this would never happen again?

"You know you like it," Gus murmured. His hands did it again. Ryou let out a whimper as his body shuddered once more. A little pleasure…but it was just the way his body reacted. _I don't want this! _Ryou screamed. _Stop it! _

A hand prodded his pants, trying to tug them off. It was hard not to cry as one hand remained playfully close to his rear. For some reason, Ryou felt betrayed. _It's not like I should feel betrayed…I deceived myself. _

"Damn shirt," Gus cursed, trying to pull it off. There was a slight bulge in his own pants as he tried to unclothe the child in front of him with a shaky hand. He was having no luck, and it was frustrating! He could get it off if he removed his hand from the kid's rump, but he didn't want to. His entire body was quivering in fervor. "I'll just rip it-"

Ryou jerked away, crying, "DON'T TOUCH ME!"

All his life had he waited…waited for someone else to make everything better. He had waited for someone to save him. _**But who can save you, if you can't even save yourself?** _

The door slammed opened. A white-haired teen with livid lavender eyes stood there, his hand holding the back of his head.

"That. Hurt. Like. Hell. Bastard."

_**You don't have to do it all yourself, but you can't expect others to do it all for you.**_

_I'm not alone anymore. _

_I've got Bakura. _

AN: I hope you like! Sorry about not putting Marik's name in the last sentence, too. It just didn't seem to match. Please R and R! Erm…depending on how this week goes, the next chapter will be here before Friday, or sometime over the weekend. Thanks! (Sorry about the cliffhanger, but it went over three pages. Had to stop)


	9. Collar

AN: Sorry this is a lot late! It's just that, we're getting our entire house remodeled! So I've updated only the first part of the next chapter! I promise I'll add the rest in less than a week. (That's when they're supposed to be done.) I'm so excited! We're repainting all rooms and redoing flooring, as well as adding another part of the house!

The next part is here!

Yami-Echo: Sorry it took so long to update! And it's not even the whole chapter! I swear I'll get the rest up before Sunday. (They're supposed to finish either Friday or Saturday) Marik's cool, but Bakura and Ryou…lol, they've got a deeper connection somehow, I guess. Thanks for the review!

dragonlady222: Jorge is a _huge_ man. If I could draw, I'd draw out the characters and everything, but I suck at art. So…yeah. Hehe, thanks for the review!

Anime WarriorSkye: That's almost opposite of mine. I don't get to go anywhere, while my parents go all over! Austrailia, China, Japan, Brazil, it's not fair! Oh well. At least they take me to a few places. Lol. Thanks for the review!

Rogue1979: I'm glad you like it! That makes me want to write more. Hehehe. Sorry about you getting kicked off. It must suck, to lose all that data and stuff. Thanks for the review! I hope you like the rest of this chapter.

Chapter Eight: Collar

The kick took Gus down. It was a lot faster than he had expected from a weakened albino-looking teen.

As soon as the man fell, Bakura stepped over him and made his way to Ryou. His vision shook a bit as he held onto the child dearly. _Damn, what the hell's with these guys? Always chasing after Ryou._

"That was pretty daring," Bakura commented softly. Ryou, who was shaking slightly, grinned.

"Yes, it was. He was never allowed to yell near Mithos, or any of the customers."

Bakura whirled around at the sound of the bland voice, protectively placing an arm in front of Ryou. "Frigging persistent pervy cockroach…" he muttered. "Cockroaches never die quietly, do they?"

Gus just sneered and stated, "You just want him for yourself. Hehe. He's a keeper, ain't he?"

Bakura clenched his fists, his eyes turning into a dangerous shade of lavender. "Say that again?"

Crossing his arms over his chest, Gus shrugged. "What can I say? I'd love to take him and…" Moaning loudly, he shuddered in pleasure as he assumed a fighting stance. "You're wasting my hour. I never had the chance to have him to myself before, and you're ruining it."

"You'll never have him," Bakura grimly said.

He didn't waste time. Gus snapped forward with a quick series of roundhouse kicks. Bakura cut him off as soon as he could. Being driven to the wall was no good. Ducking under the high strike, Bakura threw an uppercut right at the pervert's face and followed it with a sweeping side punch.

Bakura never saw Gus hit the ground. Jorge shot down the door, bellowing. The bullet just grazed his ear before he tucked himself into a ball and rolled out of the way. When Bakura was back on his feet, it was too late.

A steel barrel stared back at him.

"Mithos…wants him back…" Jorge said unthinkingly. "You…are in…the way…Gus wanted to…do his business…you interfered…don't mess with us!"

His sausage of a finger squeezed the trigger.

Bakura winced as it bit his shoulder, but otherwise missed. A looming figure stood behind Jorge, with a large vase.

It came down on his head and shattered to myriads of shards.

Ryou and Marik came into view as the giant slowly collapsed. They grinned.

Bakura was breathing heavily. This had spent a lot of his energy. "Call police. Get them out. Make sure Faolan's okay." Bakura fell onto his bed, groaning. Marik nodded, and left to go do that. "Are you alright, Ryou?" the teen asked tiredly.

"Fine…I'm fine." Ryou paused before hesitantly crawled under one of Bakura's sprawled arms. "Can I?…May I?"

Bakura smiled as he closed his eyes. "Of course."

The two were asleep before the law enforcement even got there.

---  
Two days later…  
---

_"Ryou, you're mine, right?" _

_When the boy didn't respond, a sharp pain emanated from his neck. The child cried out, shivering as the teen above him pressed his body closer to his exposed form. _

_The teen smiled at Ryou, his baby blue eyes flashing. His smile turned into a malicious grin as he bent close to the child's ear. As his hand amused itself with Ryou's body, he forcefully whispered, "You belong to _me_." _

He woke with a start. Sweat drenched and quivering, Ryou hugged himself and fought the urge to cry. Bakura stirred beside him, rubbing his eyes.

"Ryou?"

He couldn't hold it in any longer. Silently, he cried as Bakura held him tightly. Bakura tried to console him and eventually, Ryou's crying subsided.

In a small voice, he said, "I'm scared, Kura."

Before Bakura could say anything, the alarm clock went off.

Faolan burst into the room, yelling at the top of his lungs. "BREAKFAST IS READY! B-R-E-A-K-F-A-S-T!"

His grin disappeared when he saw Ryou clinging to Bakura.

Bakura glared at Faolan, briefly cursing silently before sighing. He stood up, Ryou in his arms, and said, "We're going to brush our teeth."

Faolan frowned and said nothing as they passed him.

Behind him, Bakura called out, "After breakfast, we're going boating." Faolan pursed his lips and headed for the kitchen. He couldn't let those words out, or Bakura would send him back to his father.

In the bathroom, Marik just finished shaving as Bakura and Ryou came in. He grinned, his hand running over his smooth chin. "First time in a long time that I've done this without cutting myself," he said proudly. Ryou giggled as Marik ruffled his hair.

Bakura shook his head, smiling. "You are such an idiot sometimes."

"It's all yours," Marik said, gesturing to the spacious restroom. "I've got to watch the kitchen. Don't want it to be demolished like that time you tried to cook."

He left before Bakura could knock him one in the head.

As soon as the door was closed, Bakura turned to Ryou and said, "Why are you scared?"

Ryou stared at him. He blushed and looked away, shaking his head. "It's…It's nothing," he mumbled.

Bakura didn't believe him, but he didn't want to push the child either. Mutely, he grabbed a toothbrush and proceeded to brush his teeth. Soon a small hand reached for another toothbrush.

Lately, Ryou would clam up like this when it came to nightmares or any fears. It bugged Bakura, not only because Ryou didn't confide him, but also because it hurt for some reason. It wasn't suppose to hurt, or ache! What the heck was going on?

Bakura glanced down at Ryou, and noted that he hadn't taken a bath yesterday. "Hey, kiddo, the bath for you." He started running the water, checking its temperature as Ryou went to fetch his change of clothes.

When the child came up, Bakura turned the water off and motioned to the tub. "Cleanse yourself, dry and dress, then come out for some breakfast. Okay?"

Ryou nodded. Bakura was partially out the door when Ryou called his name.

Patiently, he looked back at Ryou.

Scuffing his feet on the tiled floor, Ryou hesitantly said, "S-soap?"

Bakura glanced at the rim of the bath and saw that he hadn't taken out the shampoos.

"Right, sorry," Bakura muttered, trudging back in. As he set the bottles next to the head of the bath, he saw Ryou take his shirt off.

That damn collar was still there.

"Take that off your neck," Bakura said a bit abrasively. "You're not a dog."  
Ryou was about to shake his head, but Bakura's look frightened him a little. "I-I can't…" he said, backing up a little. "It…I…Mithos…"

Bakura clenched his teeth and mentally slammed himself into a wall. "Why not?" he asked, trying to act a tad more calmly.

It kind of worked. Ryou stopped backing away and slowly said, "Mithos said I can't."

"Does he own you or something?" Bakura barked. He immediately regretted his words as Ryou visibly cringed. He sighed. "Look…" Kneeling in front of the boy, he reached for the collar. "Just…take it off…it…it doesn't suit you."

Ryou lightly placed his hand on Bakura's, locking his eyes with the lavender ones. "Don't."

There was a long silence before Bakura withdrew his hand. "Whatever." He slammed his hands in his pockets before stepping toward the door.

As the door closed behind him, Bakura leaned against it and closed his eyes. The emotions that surged through him felt like they were tearing him apart. _What the heck is wrong with me? If he wants to keep that damn thing on, why can't he? It's just a stupid collar…_It was because it reminded him of how he couldn't protect him. _Damn sentimentality. Why the hell am I crying? _

Quickly wiping the tears away, the white-haired teen strode out the door. No one saw him leave.

In the bathroom, Ryou broke down sobbing.

AN: So I updated as soon as I can. The first floor is done, which is awesome! Everything's being cleaned and organized right now, though. So hectic! I'm surprised I haven't lost anything.

Anyways, thanks for the reviews! Tell me how the ending of this section was. I wasn't sure if it counted as a cliff hanger or what.


	10. Reflection

AN: Our hose is finished! It looks sooo cool, but it's friggin cold at night. (shivers) Well, here's the next chapter. I hope to update soon, before the end of the week. I've been having a load of homework lately, so it's kinda hard. (I really don't want to update weekly, but all my teachers are making it difficult! Argh!)

I wrote this chapter just today. Please enjoy! Sorry if it isn't as…polished as it could be.

Rogue1979: That must've sucked. You probably lost everything, huh? Whew…I'm sorry to hear. I hope you like the next chapter. Glad to know that you're still reading this fic! Thanks for the review!

dragonlady222: Marik's a cool guy. What can I say? Lol. Here's the next chapter, the whole thing. More about Koro, too…Enjoy. Thanks for the review!

Anime WarriorSkye: lol. But at least you get to go. I stay at home while they go EVERYWHERE. And guess who I have to stay with? My grandparents (nothing against them, their awesome! It's just, I wanna go to Europe too!). Thanks for the review.

The Vampire Prince: Really? For my houseshold, it's the opposite. But then again, my mom wanted the house to have a new look. Oh well. I'm not complaining. It looks so cool! Lol. Thanks for the review!

Chapter Nine: Reflection

He wandered around the harbor, staring at the clear water, thinking. Exactly a year ago, Koro had been walking beside him here. Bakura remembered the exact conversation they had, and how simply Koro put it all.

_"Bakura, what do you think about death?" _

_He nearly fell over. "What?" he stuttered. _

_There was laughter. "Don't look so shocked, Baku!" Grinning, Koro ruffled Bakura's hair. "It's an innocent question, really. What do you think about death? Aren't you scared?" _

_Bakura shrugged. What an odd question. "Erm…I…I don't know." _

_Koro shoved his hands in his pockets, staring up the sky. "I think…call me selfish, but I'm not so scared about dying, but rather…people dying on me. Wouldn't it be lonely, to be living by yourself? No one to talk to, or to laugh with?" _

_Bakura lightly tapped Koro on the head. "I'm right here, so don't worry!" _

_Koro stared at him, dumbfounded. Slowly, a grin spread across his face. "Bakura, thanks." _

_"No problem, you weirdo. What kind of question was that, anyway?" _

_"Just thinking, is all…just thinking." _

It was so blunt, the way Koro had put it. _I miss him, _Bakura thought, sitting down near the edge of the dock. _I miss him a lot. _There was the familiar pain of regret stabbing his chest again. It always happened frequently, until just a few weeks ago.

The collision that changed everything.

Why did he bring that kid home? Because he looked very much like Koro. A small glimmer of hope had driven his mind to believe that it _could_ be Koro when he was younger. How naïve.

Yet…Ryou was Koro in another way. He couldn't smile and laugh as carefree as Koro could, but he had something else that made him special. It was a trait that only Koro had ever possessed.

He could make Bakura's spirit soar. Just like Koro had.

Only, they had their differences. That was fine.

But that collar…

Bakura vented lightly as he thought back to when he lived with his father. All that inequality, injustice, unfairness. He knew it was wrong, but he always turned a blind eye to it, afraid of what his father's reaction would be should he interfere. Until Koro came. Then it all changed, but it was too late.

They left, of course, after the funeral. They traveled for months, looking for a small place to call their own. Until they found this place.

"Teishin!"

Bakura's ears perked up. He frowned. No one around here knew his last name except Marik…unless…

A hand rested on his shoulder. Bakura pinched the man between the thumb and the index finger, producing a short shriek. _Loud bastard! _Standing, he flipped his opponent into the water and turned to face the next one.

One swift punch came, going for his head. Bakura ducked and spun, his leg sweeping the adversary's legs from underneath him. There was a sploosh as he fell into the water.

The third threw his hands up, calling a truce. "Whoa! Bakura, it's me!"

Bakura kept his fighting stance, glaring at the last man.

With a crew cut and amused hazel eyes, he grinned. "Don't you remember me? It's me!"

"I don't recall someone who goes by 'me'," Bakura said apprehensively.

The guy laughed. "Sorry. It's Honda."

Bakura didn't let up. "What the hell are you doing here?"

Honda's face fell. It sounded like Bakura wasn't happy at all to see him. Then again, it made sense. He _had _run away from the entire family. "I'm here to fetch you."

"Leave," Bakura demanded curtly. His eyes were serious. "Don't you dare come back."

Honda tutted. "That's no way to greet an old friend."

"I don't see a friend."

Honda heaved a sigh. "Look, you've got to come back."

Bakura bared his teeth. "What do you not flipping understand? I'm never going back to that sick-"

"It's your mother. She passed away."

There was a pause. _Mom? _Bakura felt his insides turn to jelly. _No, not Mom, too! _He cursed, shoving past Honda.

"When, and how?"

Honda quickly followed him, calling to his wet men. "Er…about two nights ago. It took forever to find you, Bakura!"

"Did father have anything to do with it?"

"No, I swear. Nice place, this port. I heard-"

"Shut it. When's her funeral?"

"Tomorrow." Honda was silent for a moment as Bakura stormed off the dock. "Look…I'm really sorry about your mom."

"Save it," Bakura said barked. Then gently, he added, "No offense, but I don't want it coming from a guy that works for a man like my father."

The bodyguard nodded. He knew what Bakura meant. There was something bothering him, though.

Where the heck was Koro? He was about to ask, when a blue-haired child ran up to Bakura.

Faolan screamed Bakura's name, hugging him tightly. Bakura was slightly annoyed. _Why in public? _He tried to pull his cousin off as he said, "What's the matter?"

"He came for us!" Faolan was breathing fast, his face like a deer caught in the headlights. "He sent five of them for Marik, but he's having trouble. Ryou won't come out of the bathroom! I came as fast as I could-" Then he noticed Honda. "You!" he spat, disgust evident in his voice. "You're here, too?"

Honda frowned.

"Faolan, what do you mean?"

"Marik's in trouble! You've got to hurry!"

That was all they needed to hear.

---  
Bakura/Marik's House

---

Bakura got there first, and by the looks of it, Marik needed no assistance at all. In fact, he was almost finished. Four men were sprawled on the ground as the last one was shouting at the top of his lungs.

"Joey!" Honda's face grew red. "I thought I told you not to attack them!"

The said tall, blonde youth scowled, not taking his eyes off of Marik's, who was standing on the porch with his hands in his back pockets of his jeans. "We didn't pick the fight! This sucker threw the first punch."

Marik leaned against the doorframe as Joey continued to make threatening gestures. However, it wasn't doing much since sand kept blowing into the youth's eyes, causing him to blink rapidly.

"Is that true?" Bakura asked. He walked right past Joey and up the stairs.

The Egyptian shrugged, turning around to go back into the house. "I saw their suits and took it for granted that Mithos hadn't given up. Guess it wasn't Mithos, though. Joey, you say? Then you're _that_ little punk?"

Joey immediately resumed his fighting stance. "Run that by me again?" Marik froze.

Honda placed a hand on his shoulder, shaking his head. "It's not the time or the place for this, bro."

"Is Ryou still in the bathroom?" Bakura murmured.

As Marik nodded, there was a yelp. The teens turned around to see Joey incredulously staring at Faolan, whose leg was outstretched in a kick. "Go away!" Faolan demanded, his eyes fierce. "We aren't going back." Joey glanced down at the footprint on the back of his pants and raised an eyebrow.

"I'm afraid we are," Bakura said grimly.

Everyone's gaze fell on the teen. Bakura looked away, saying, "I've got to attend my mother's funeral." He gave a grateful smile at Marik's contrite eyes as he walked past him. "Pack fast. We leave in fifteen."

"Want me to pack for you?" Marik asked, nodding to the bathroom.

Bakura nodded. "Thanks."

Outside, Faolan blankly stared at the place Bakura had been before slowly making his way to his makeshift room. Joey and Honda decided to wait in the limo.

As the teen knocked lightly on the bathroom door, Faolan reached for his shirt. However, all he got was air as Bakura let himself in. Ryou's back was turned to him, his turtleneck covering the collar and his small cargos neatly in place.

"Ryou, we're leaving."-"Bakura, how many days are we staying there?"

The child whirled around, his face drained. His eyes widened and he dropped it.

There was a piercing echo as glass met tile. Bakura lost his voice. The picture of Koro and Bakura grinned back at him.

Ryou fell to his knees, choking back a sob. Quickly, he brushed all the glass away and picked up the picture, his entire body tremulous. "Bakura, I-I'm sorry!" he stammered, holding the photograph out to the teen. "I-It slipped, a-and-"

Faolan gasped. "But that's…"

Bakura closed his eyes, his hands balling into fists. _Ouch… _When he opened them again, he just stared past Ryou.

"That's his favorite picture!" Faolan burst. "What? Why would you-"

"You're bleeding," Bakura said calmly, taking Ryou's hands while averting his gaze. It was true. There were cuts all over from the glass. "Let's fix you up."

Silently, Ryou cried as Bakura gently took the photo and laid it on the countertop next to the sink. Faolan opened his mouth to say more, but Bakura ordered him to go get a broom. He left, his eyes confused.

Bakura was mute for a while as he soaked the child's hands. "Gomen," Ryou whispered, lowering his head shamefully. "Gomennasai."

"The picture's fine," Bakura muttered softly as he carefully applied Neosporin on the scrapes. He cautiously wrapped the bandages as Ryou sniffled. "I'd rather lose a picture, though, then see you cut yourself up like this."

Ryou stared at his banded hands, relieved that Bakura wasn't mad at him. "But I really am sorry."

"I think what you did compensates for the dropping of the photo." Bakura smiled. "Thanks, Ryou. That really meant a lot."

Ryou blushed. In an instant, all the effort was paid off in a few words.

_No, thank you, Kura. _

Filling Ryou in on the past events, Bakura swept him off the counter as they left the bathroom.

Next to the bathtub was a weathered, torn collar.

AN: Okay. Was the ending confusing? I didn't know how else to put it. I hope you liked it! Please review! Lol.


	11. Dinner with Father

AN: This is late, and I'm really sorry. A lot of homework this week. We had Friday off, so a lot of projects poured in.

Sorry it wasn't clear at the end! Um, Bakura was just thankful that Ryou took the collar off. It was near the bathtub…yeah.

Just to clear the air: This isn't yaoi. No offense to people or anything, but…yeah. More like…brotherly love.

dragonlady222: I don't think you're going to like Faolan anymore after this chapter. Lol. I know that a lot of people don't think that Bakura's got a 'nice' side, but I'm sure that his lone wolf act lessens when he's with friends, you know? I mean, he was supposed to be really comfortable with Koro, and so Ryou…yeah. Thanks for the review!

Rogue1979: Ack! Sorry! Ryou compensated with taking the collar off, which was hard for him. I'm sorry it took so long to update. Please enjoy! (I've had so much homework! Grr! I hate how teachers give a lot out for the weekend) Thanks for the review!

Anime WarriorSkye: Sorry, no yaoi. Only brotherly love. I should have made that a little more clear, huh? lol. Sorry about that. Thanks for the review! I'm glad you like the story so far.

The Vampire Prince: I think that ice cream scene was better, though. (shrugs) I dunno. Oh, I hate it when my computer does that! Mine sucks, so it's hard to get the internet running sometimes. I want a new comp for Christmas one day. (sighs) Thanks for the review!

Chapter Ten: Dinner with Father

Faolan didn't understand. He didn't know why, but it agitated him that Bakura was carrying Ryou in his arms when he came out of the bathroom. Faolan forced a small smile. "I got the broom."

He felt like he was drifting through a dream as he mutely cleaned up the glass and prepared to pack. Bakura and Marik had said things to him, but he all he could do was nod. It seemed so weird now, because…because the two teens weren't worried about him. Rather…they cared for another kid.

Well, it wasn't exactly the 'caring' part. It just was like…the white-haired boy was their _life._ At first he had thought it was because Ryou looked like Koro. As he got to know the kid better, he knew it wasn't that. He was nothing like the albino at all. Sure, the kid was polite and nice, well-mannered. But he was so quiet and soft-spoken. The only time he ever actually smiled or laughed naturally was when Bakura or Marik was around.

Bakura and Marik weren't exactly _obsessed_ with the child or anything. They just always tried to so hard to please the boy.

And it bugged him. Faolan wanted the attention. For some reason, Ryou was getting every second of their time. At least it seemed that way. They always asked him what he wanted to do, to eat, to go.

"Faolan, you okay?"

He snapped out of it. Quickly glancing about him, Faolan nodded. Since when did they get in the limo?

"You sure? You're real quiet, which isn't really like you."

Faolan gazed into Marik's worried eyes before slowly looking at Bakura and Ryou. Bakura seemed a bit puzzled while Ryou…well, the kid was sleeping. In Bakura's arms.

He cleared his throat as he said, "I'm fine. Just my throat is bothering, is all."

Marik nodded, looking outside the window again. For the first time, Faolan noticed the tenseness in the car. _Well, this is the Teishin Manor we're talking about_, Faolan thought.

The three hours in the car didn't seem too bad. Honda and Joey carried out most of the conversation, filling the rest in about what had happened since they left. Marik wasn't really paying attention. Bakura could understand; after what had happened at the manor, it wasn't like they wanted to go back.

_I'm glad he's coming, though, _Bakura thought. _Mom…oh, god…_

By the time they pulled up, Ryou was awake. He was stunned, too, by the looks of it. The five gates and roudabout were enough to state that the Teishins were filthy rich. However, the golf course and swimming pool…yeah. Especially since they were indoor.

The manor was another story. It was in the layout of a box, with an inner courtyard and another big building in the middle. The outer building had a ostentatious yet daunting look to it. It was very intimidating.

_I never knew Bakura was so rich._ Ryou clenched his jaw. This was so much to take in. The urge to stare was eating at him. He didn't want to look like a tourist, though, swiveling his head around to get a view of everything. He clenched Bakura's hand and walked forward.

"Welcome, Masters Bakura, Marik, and Faolan," a glum voice announced. A wizened old man stood by the door in a tux, top hat, and gloves. He opened the double doors with a flourished bow. Ryou couldn't help but notice the collar around his neck; it was steel.

Marble. The floor, the pillars, the counters…all were marble.

A bell chimed somewhere as the door closed behind the six. A maid walked up to them, bowing as well. In a monotonous voice, she said, "It is good to see you again, Masters Bakura, Marik, and Faolan. Please allow me to show you to your rooms." As she turned, she added, "Honda, Joey, park the limo in the garage and see Master Teishin."

Ryou squeezed Bakura's hand hard. This lady had a steel collar, too.

As she led them up to their rooms, Ryou knew that he wasn't going to like this place a whole lot. Ever since they had arrived, Bakura and Marik had looked so grim it was scaring him.

---  
Rooms  
---

"I don't want to stay by myself," was what he wanted to say. Ryou was terrified of sleeping alone, without Bakura by his side. What scared him more was the bed.

Instead, he gave a small smile and boldly walked into the room that the maid had pointed to. When she closed the door behind him, Ryou wanted to run back out and grab Bakura.

But he couldn't.

The room had a large, king-size bed with a nightstand on one side and a dressor on the other. A small balcony overlooked the inner courtyard, and a small door led to the bathroom. Again, everything was made of the same thing: cherry wood.

He shivered, standing there in front of the door. It was cold in the room, with the balcony open and the floor being wood.

Ryou jumped when Bakura came through the door.

"Kura." Ryou quickly went over to the teen's side and clung to him.

He smiled softly and patted Ryou's head. "Scared yet?" Ryou nodded. "Don't worry. Father loves to show off, as you can tell." Bakura glanced around. "Do you like your room?"

Ryou shrugged.

"Would you like to stay with me?" Bakura asked. At the child's smile, he grinned and guided the kid down the hall. As the maid passed them, he explained the arrangements and kept going.

Bakura's room appeared to be just like Ryou's. Cherry wood everything.

There was a light knock and Bakura called them to come in. A new maid appeared, also with a collar. "Dinner will be ready in half an hour, Master Bakura." She excused herself with a bow and left, closing the door.

Bakura sighed and trudged over to his balcony, which looked out over the golf course. Ryou joined him by his side, barely able to see over the stone railing.

"Why…why does everyone have collars?" Ryou whispered.

He had been prepared for this question. Of the two things he had been thinking about in the car, this had been it.

"My father believes that discipline is vital. Every wrong thing must be punished. A long time ago, a manservant tried to steal my father's fortune. He was caught red-handed, and the result was a lifetime service to the Teishin family for the next few generations." Bakura stared at the stone patterns, feeling discomfited. It bothered him that this was part of his family history.

"Thing is, that servant was part of a conspiracy who planned to overthrow my father. When dad found out, he got a lot of government officials to back him up. Through bribery, of course.

"He had the fate of the conspirators families in his hands, and he decided to make use of it. All of them were put to work here from the age of ten to sixty. Fifty years…just for the mistakes of the fathers."

Ryou swallowed hard. "There are so many of them, though."

"Too many…maids and servants alike." Bakura glanced back into the room and saw the time. "It's time for dinner. We should get going. Father hates it when people show up late."

---  
Dinner  
---

The clash of silverware rang throughout the dining hall has guards and guests alike dug in. A string quartet played lightly in a corner for some background music as chattering arouse.

"It is good to see you, Bakura." Master Teishin was a man who looked prepared for war. His gray hair was slicked back and his face looked hard. His eyes, a darker lavender than Bakura's, looked like glass. Nothing was in them.

"Wish I could say the same," Bakura murmured. Marik gently elbowed him.

"And how do you do, Marik? Is fishing working out for you? A man of your status?" Neatly cutting a piece of steak off, Teishin senior waited for an answer.

Marik was silent for a moment before saying, "You may not remember correctly, sir, but I do not fish."

"Ah, right. My apologizes."

As Teishin chewed for a bit, Bakura fumed. His father was such a prick sometimes. He knew that Marik didn't fish. And he hadn't even brought up his mother yet! _Acting as if nothing is wrong…pah. _The seat reserved for his mom wasn't at the table. Only six chairs…one for Bakura, Marik, Faolan, Ryou, Teishin senior, and his advisor.

"Faolan, you must tell me how your studies are going," Teishin said.

Bakura rolled his eyes as Faolan and his dad carried out a perfect conversation. This was always so dull and boring. He lost his appetite really soon as well.

"And who is this young man?"

He froze. If his father found out about Ryou…

"His name is Ryou," Faolan finally said. The long silence was shattered and the silverware started moving again. "He's currently staying with Marik and Bakura at the moment."

"Oh? And where are his parents?" Master Teishin asked sternly, putting down his silverware. Everyone stopped eating as Ryou blushed. He opened his mouth, but Marik put a hand on his shoulder.

Before the Egyptian could say anything, though, Bakura quietly said, "None of your business, old man."

Teishin's expression didn't change. His eyes were fierce as he curtly said, "Bakura, I do not approve of you acting as a babysitter, especially to a homeless, bum of a child-"

The crash resounded in the hall, bringing all eyes to Bakura. His chair was on the ground, and he looked like he could kill.

AN: Please review! I hope you liked this chapter. Sorry if the end of it was a little rushed.


	12. Impulse

AN: THE WEEKEND! FINALLY! AND NOT A LOT OF HOMEWORK! Lol. Haven't had a free weekend since school started. Whew, feels good.

dragonlady222: I agree with you. Teishin senior needs a lot of work, involving fists and kicks. He doesn't feel for his wife! What an imbecile, don't ya think? Marik and Ryou both play a vital role in the next event. I hope you like. Enjoy! Thanks for the review!

Rogue1979: The confrontation, huh? I wonder what'll happen. (Haven't got an idea yet.) I know what leads to it, though. Hehe…please enjoy the next chapter! (At least the end…the next chapter will be better) Thanks for the review!

Anime WarriorSkye: Well, if you think about it, one can't exactly purposely kill one's father. I mean, if you've got a mental problem, or a very reasonable reason, then maybe. But then again, you never know. Thanks for the review! Enjoy!

The Vampire Prince: Teishin might or might not get his. He is one of the 'untouchable' people, ya know? Lots of money, lots of power, that sort of thing. Thanks for the review! Enjoy!

Anyways, here is the next chapter! (The one after this one will be here in about two days.)

Chapter Eleven: Impulse

"Pick up your chair, Bakura," Teishin coldly demanded. He met his son's gaze evenly, his own purple eyes burning. "That is not how a man of your status should act."

"Status? What status?" Bakura spat. "Doesn't that come with etiquette as well?" Ryou hopped out of his seat and rushed to put the chair back up. Bakura stopped him without looking, placing a tennis shoe firmly on the wooden frame. Teishin ignored Ryou's attempt. He didn't even look at him. Bakura growled, "Watch your manners, _father._ Mother would never approve of your hospitality toward guests."

His father rose from his chair, his voice booming. "What would you know about what your mother wants?" He closed his eyes and straightened himself. "I don't want to see you stuck raising a child like-"

Bakura scoffed. "What do you know about raising a child?"

Turning on his heel, Bakura grabbed Ryou's hand and stormed out of the hallway. Marik stiffly stood, his chair screeching loudly against the floor. He bowed politely before leaving as well. Faolan looked as he was about to run after the Egyptian, but the advisor's eyes flashed in warning. Uncomfortable, yet determined, he stayed.

Marik caught up with him in no time.

"I should say that you shouldn't have done that," Marik said lightly, crossing his arms as he walked beside Bakura. "Note the words, _I should_."

Bakura gave a brief smile before sighing. "I hate this place," he muttered to no one in particular.

Curious, Ryou asked why. Bakura just patted him on the head and continued down the hall.

Pillars of marble guided them back to their rooms, where they retired. After all that commotion and the stress of being back at the manor, Bakura and Marik really could use the rest. Ryou felt out of place, but as long as Bakura was here, he knew he would be fine.

Silently, the two went about the night routine before setting on the bed. Ryou slept instantly, but the case was rather different for Bakura.

His mind was a maelstrom of chaos and regret. He wanted to speak with his mom so bad. He wanted to tell her so many things, apologize, and ask for advice. He wanted to see her again, one last time…

After much restlessness, Bakura finally fell asleep.

---  
Six Days Later…  
---

He couldn't leave yet. This sucked. Faolan wanted to finish some things before, and he asked (basically begged) Bakura to wait for him. And so here he was, waiting…for five flipping days!

Bakura couldn't take this anymore. He stayed in his room as much as he could, with Marik and Ryou. After all, Faolan was busy doing whatever it was.

They played board games, tried magic tricks with cards, and completed puzzles. Ryou learned how to play poker and blackjack while Marik wiped Bakura and him out clean. Any word games, Bakura won hands down. Surprisingly, he had a very large capacity of vocabulary for some of his…yeah. For Ryou, puzzles were his specialty. With just a glance at the picture, he knew where all the pieces went.

Dinner was always taken in their rooms as well. This way, Bakura didn't have to even see his father everyday.

Bakura kept the servants away. He did everything he needed, or what Ryou needed. "I have arms and legs, ya know. I can do what I need done."

Then Faolan called him.

By servant, of course. A written note, asking him to come to the library. Groaning and grumbling, Bakura stalked out of the room as Marik and Ryou watched him leave.

"What a baby," Marik muttered.

Ryou grinned.

The great oak doors, with very intricate carvings, would've stopped any newcomer to ooh and aah over the art. Not Bakura. He had seen it a hundred times, and a hundred times more. It was a picture of the ocean, with all these sea creatures.

A musty smell arose as Bakura entered the library. Needless to say, it was huge. With rows and rows of shelves with books, this collection would make any scholar jealous.

"Master Bakura?"

The librarian bowed as Bakura made his way over to the man. "Where's Faolan?" Bakura asked.

"I'm sorry, master, but he is a bit behind schedule. He should be here soon."

"Whatever." Bakura trudged over to a shelf, grabbed a book, and plotted himself down on one of the plush chairs. _Faolan had better hurry, _he growled to himself.

---

"Blackjack," Marik announced, flipping over an ace.

Ryou glumly took the cards and shuffled them. "Man, you're really good, Marik."

Marik grinned. "I gotta get back at you for whooping me at that number square puzzle."

A knock interrupted their conversation. Marik hoisted himself off the ground and opened the door…and found himself face-to-face with a blonde girl.

Emerald eyes stared at him before a slow smile crept over the girl's face. "Marik…" She blushed. "I-I mean, Master Marik."

"Celina," Marik breathed. "I thought…I thought you didn't work here anymore."

Sadly, the girl shook her head.

"Where's your brother?" the Egyptian asked. He was good friends with Celina's brother, but rarely did he ever find them apart.

"Not here at the moment," Celina said. "I'm here with a message from the kitchen chief. She wants you to come down and help with the flavor of the main dish."

Marik was slightly confused. "Why?"

Celina shrugged. "I don't know. They didn't tell me." She stole a glance inside the room. Ryou was shuffling the cards slowly. "I can go back down and ask, if you'd like."

Marik waved her off, shaking his head. He blushed, "No, no. It's fine. I'll go and ask them myself."

The maid bowed, but Marik told her not to. After succinctly telling Ryou where he was going, Marik and Celina bickered down the hall.

And that was what he was looking for.

The perfect entrance.

Ryou looked up as the door closed. He found himself looking into gold eyes.

"Oh, Faolan," Ryou said, standing up. "Bakura went looking for you. I think he went to the library." Faolan didn't say anything. "Are you done preparing here?"

"Shut up," Faolan said frostily. He clenched his fists, glaring daggers.

Ryou blinked. "W-what?"

Faolan shoved the boy back, snarling. "Quit acting like a frigging goody two shoes. I hate it when you do that!"

Ryou was stunned as the backhand hit him. He stared incredulously at Faolan before trying to back away. He had never seen this…this dark side of Bakura's cousin. His eyes had taken in an entire new look, and his…

"I don't even know why Bakura likes you! There is nothing to like! You're so scared all the time, and cling to him like your life depends on it! I bet Marik feels the same. You are _such _a burden on us!"

Ryou was shaking. He didn't really believe any of this…did he?

"Go away! No one wants you around, you bastard," Faolan shouted. "Everyone hates you! Even your sweet Bakura!"

Ryou slapped Faolan, his eyes aglow with rage. _Stop lying! _he screamed. _Stop it! STOP IT!_

The next thing he saw was Faolan's hand…coming straight for him.

Two punches and a knee was all it took before the child blacked out.

"Too easy," Faolan muttered, kicking the unconscious. "Such a weakling."

AN: Hm…I promise the chapter is much more exciting. Please R&R!


	13. Futile

AN: Wow, lots of reviews! Here's the chapter a day sooner!

dragonlady222: Faolan is like one of those brats you see in the street sometimes, the one that screams and cries and begs their mothers for everything, ya know? Even hits them sometimes? Ya…big brat. Thanks for the review!

Rogue1979: lol. Faolan used to be really close to Bakura before Koro came along. He wants the spotlight, and I'm pretty sure he's going to do whatever it takes to get it…thanks for the review!

yamiyugi23: I've updated a day sooner! That okay? Lol. Thanks for the review!

HanChan: A new reader! Can't promise you anything, but I'll try. And you're right, Faolan does have a right to be jealous. But he's gotta learn how to share. Sheesh, what a bratty rich kid, huh? Thanks for the review!

The Vampire Prince: Updating soon! Lol. I'll try to get the next chapter up soon, too. And I agree: Faolan is a brat! Thanks for the review!

Mika Sorano: Another new reader! Coolio! I'm glad you like the story so far! Please enjoy, and I've added the next chapter a day sooner! Thanks for reviewing!

Thanks for all your continued support! I'll try to update sooner than weekly! (I'm trying, I really am!)

Chapter Twelve: Futile

Numb. That's what he felt. For the last three days, he had looked _everywhere_ he could think of for the child. Marik had helped him, of course, but their progress was still too slow. Not even half the manor had been searched.

Marik blamed himself. Bakura always told him to snap out of it. It really wasn't the Egyptian's fault. After all, Bakura felt he was to blame: he had gone and waited for Faolan a full _three _hours.

And his father wasn't helping, either. Especially not after that conversation…

_"Gone, you say? Well, I bet he went back to his little dumpster." _

_Bakura growled. "What the hell did you do with him?" _

_"Do not take that tone with me." _

_"Where did you hide him?" _

_"What on Earth are you talking about?" _

_"Father!" _

_"Bakura." _

_Silence. Footsteps. _

_"Where are you going, Bakura?" _

_"To look for him." _

_"For who?" _

_"CUT THE CRAP!" _

_A pause. "He's dead to us, Bakura. Let us move on." _

_"Is that what you said when Mother died?" _

_A slap. "There is a fine line between reason and idiocy. Make no mistake of crossing it!" _

_"I just did." _

_"You fool." _

_Bakura just glared at his father. "Did you kill him?" _

_A scoff. "He's not even worth the effort." _

_"So you got someone else to do it for you, huh?" _

_"Why should I care? Bakura, need I remind you, he is not as innocent as you think. He is dirty." _

_"What the hell do you know?" _

_"Oh, please. He's a sex toy. Why do you think that is?" _

_There was a slam. Teishin found himself short of breath as his son held his throat tightly. Through gritted teeth, Bakura snarled, "Because people like you exist." He squeezed slightly. "And he _isn't_ a toy. Not anymore. Never again."_

_Bakura stalked away, the maniacal laughter of his father haunting every footstep. _

Numb. People say that when you are numb, you can't feel anything, that it doesn't hurt. _I can prove them wrong._ To Bakura, it felt like dying. Painful, to not be able to feel, to know it was hopeless to even try. _I _will_ find him._

Alive or dead? The question that hounded his mind, pushing him forward. _I must find him._

_Wait for me, R you. I'm coming. _

Seconds ticked by, slowly turning the minute hand. One hour, then two…He was racing against time, and he was scared.

Scared of losing.

---

He was terrified. The hunger, he could deal with. Even the disturbing sounds. But the sight…

Everything was dark. Everything. He couldn't see what was in front of him, beside him, or behind him. Ryou felt so vulnerable, stripped naked.

He tried hard not to cry, but it was difficult. After the first day, he sobbed. His hands hurt from the binding, from supporting all his weight. He knew he was hanging from the ceiling, just didn't know where.

The second day, he cried for help. He even begged, but no one came.

By the third, his spirit was almost broken. No one was coming, no one cared. The silence was killing him, as was the loneliness of it all. His mind began to play tricks on him.

_Bakura…_

_**No one wants you around, you bastard. **_

_That's not true! Bakura will come! _

_**Everyone hates you! Even your sweet Bakura! **_

No…no! Stop lying! …stop it… 

Mithos appeared in his mental mind, grinning. **_I don't hate you, Ryou, _**he purred.

Ryou shuddered. _Bakura doesn't hate me, he doesn't hate me! I don't need you, Mithos! Go away!_

He choked back a sob. Mithos stayed.

_…go away…_

---

Teishin was always proud of his physique. He worked out three times a week for at least an hour, sometimes more. But it all crumbled away in an instant. When Bakura slammed him into the wall.

"You know where he is! Where the hell did you hide him? Tell me!" Bakura demanded icily.

"Tell you what?" the old man sputtered. He had difficulty breathing, but he wouldn't back down.

"Why are you doing this to me, you old bastard?!" Bakura screamed, about to slam the senior into the wall again.

Faolan burst into the room. He took one look at the scene and quickly shouted, "Bakura! I heard from some maids that they small a little boy get carried away to the old dungeons!"

"You're lucky today, _father_," Bakura spat. He dropped him and ran after the blue-haired child.

If he could only see the look on Faolan's face…

---

Bakura reached for the chains, smiling gently. "I'll help you down, Ryou," he said softly. Ryou nodded mutely, crying.

Abruptly, the police officer Mateo was in front of him in place of Bakura. He was smiling in a twisted way, one that made Ryou hurl. "But stay there for a while," Mateo said, reaching for Ryou. He was panting, obviously aroused and excited. "Let me have some fun."

He screamed. The image disappeared. Again, the hope of being saved was crushed.

Ryou cried openly, his whole body trembling.

_Why me?_

They all plagued him. He relived every moment of torture in his darkness. Whenever he found a little light, it was turned black. Hands came again, along with Faolan's devastating words: _No one wants you around, you bastard. Everyone hates you! Even your sweet Bakura!_

Faith…hope…trust…he lost it all. No one was coming for him. No one truly cared.

He felt sick constantly, but his stomach yearned for food. Ryou had never really starved. Mithos always fed him, to make sure he kept his body shape. His arms ached. They felt like they were on fire constantly, or numb. And he was cold.

He couldn't tell the difference between sleeping or waking, dream or reality. Was he dead or alive? …too much pain. He was alive. However, the thought of death crossed his mind several times. Would all the pain go away if death overtook him? If it did, then he gladly welcomed it. …right? But wouldn't that mean leaving behind Bakura? And Marik?

_I can't even remember their faces anymore…_

Was this what they called insanity?

AN: Please review! (Sorry it's short. The next chapter contains a lot.) I'll try to get the next chapter up soon. (I hope it wasn't too dark…poor Ryou.)


	14. Why not me?

AN: Here is the next chapter! (A bit later than I would've liked…)

dragonlady222: I agree. But see, Faolan's a little messed up in the head. Real egotistic, ya know? Thanks for the review and continued support! (You've reviewed like, every chapter of every story of mine. YOU'RE AWESOME!)

yamiyugi23: I hope so…Bakura, too. I hope he's okay as well. Thanks for the review!

HanChan: Sorry about the dark parts. I tried to lighten them a little, but they didn't seem right. I tried, though. Does that count? Thanks for the review!

Anime WarriorSkye: Ryou will be saved! …hopefully…in time, as well. Well, thanks for the review!

Rogue1979: Ah, good point there. But what if Bakura doesn't show? … I guess we shall see! Thanks for the review!

Chapter Thirteen: Why not me?

Marik glanced at his wristwatch. Light green digital symbols shone back at him. "Three minutes," he murmured as he stared at the double doors. "Until dinner."

Bakura mutely nodded. He was sitting in a casual manner, deep in thought. He was terrified of what was going to happen tonight, of what he was going to find. Would it be a corpse? Would he be too late? _I promised him I'd protect him,_ Bakura thought, clenching his fists. He had been over this dozens of times. _I try to, but…I…I keep messing up! This is my fault, and I'm _going _to fix it. _

"Two minutes."

How? How could he let this happen? What if he couldn't fix it? _Enough questions! _Bakura's insides churned as he tried to pacify the pandemonium coursing through him. _Concentrate. Ryou's life isn't the only one on the balance. _

"One minute."

_But Ryou's life could certainly tip the balance a great amount. _

---

The plan had started with the storeroom. Bakura had stumbled upon it by accident, looking frantically for the missing child. After several days of no success, he was ready to try anything. When he threw open the door, several wizened faces of old stared at him. Instantly, everything was shushed.

Faintly, one man whispered, "We've been found out."

Bakura's frenzied state calmed a little while he studied the faces of the senior servant headmasters. Only one word could describe the look in their hardened eyes: conspiracy.

Slowly, the oldest one stood. "This meeting is dismissed." Chairs weren't the only things that creaked as the men got to their feet and shuffled for the exit.

"Meeting for what?" Bakura said, blocking the single door. He grinned wickedly when members exchanged glances, some of them looking like deer caught in the headlights.

The elder's gaze leveled Bakura's, and the room fell still.

Bakura crossed his arms and huffed. "What will you do if I tell my father on you?"

"You wouldn't do that," the man leisurely reassured himself, as well as his peers.

Lavender eyes turned a darker shade. "If my father could tell me where Ryou is, I would turn you in without hesitating." His cold remark left the headservants stunned for a little bit.

The elder grinded his teeth a moment before saying, "What if…I told you that we know where the child is?"

"Go on."

"…I have a proposition for you."

---

"Dinner time."

Silence in the dining hall. No bell went off. No feet shuffled. Nothing. No sound.

Except the ticking of the clock, and the respiration of the two people sitting at the table.

"Father is late," Bakura said with an amused tone. "He really depends on that bell."

Marik said nothing as he tucked his arms behind his head, staring at the ceiling with his feet propped up against the table.

Faolan came first. He came in a flurry of robes and dust. "I'm so sorry! I was reading at the library and – where's Master Teishin?" In a confused expression, he swept the rest of the room. "Where are all the servants?"

Bakura didn't even glance at Faolan, because the head of the house stormed in right then. "Stupid maid doesn't know when to sound the bell! Dinner has to be served at exactly seven o'clock! All those stupid little-"

"You are late," Bakura announced.

"Why, how nice of you to join us," Teishin shot back, settling in his chair. His eyes were livid and his clothes were disheveled. "What is this? Our second meal together?" he sneered.

_He's in an awful bad mood, _Bakura thought. Mentally, he grinned. _And I'm going to make him feel so much better. _

"I'm afraid you are mistaken, Master Teishin," Marik broke in. "You see, there is no meal."

It was then that Teishin noticed all the missing bodies. Not a single servant or maid could be seen.

His mouth trembled as his gaze fell onto his son. "What have you done, Bakura?" he asked, emphasizing each word as he grew louder.

"I've signed their work contracts away," Bakura simply said. He smiled sweetly as this sank in. Faolan was looking at Bakura as if he were crazy. "They gave me information, too. Enough to talk about a lifetime in prison, father."

Teishin closed his eyes as he trembled in anger. "What," he spewed, "is it that you want, Bakura?" he spat.

The teen leaned forward, no longer smiling. "Give me the key," Bakura demanded, holding a hand out.

The father scoffed. "I can't believe this. Is that all it takes to keep your mouth shut?" Teishin asked.

Bakura nodded once firmly, his eyes never wavering. Father looked at son in a way that could kill before he reached into his coat pocket and pulled out a rusty bronze thing out of a silver case.

He twirled it in his fingers for a bit, as if contemplating. "This thing is ancient. If you drop it, it will snap into pieces." Teishin smirked. "How fast can you run, Bakura?"

As soon as he released the key, Teishin grabbed Bakura hard, right on the shoulder blade. Bakura gave a grunt of pain and fell backwards as Marik ran forward to catch the key.

Pain blinded him for a moment, and he was scared of hearing a shatter. Bakura tried to sit up, but his father's hold on the pressure point didn't let up.

Marik stood at the doors panting, key safe in his hands. He looked back at Bakura, who was still at the table. He was about to go back for his friend when Bakura shook his head.

"Hurry the hell up! Go get Ryou!" A foot came down on Bakura's ribs. He winced, and tried to turn onto his stomach. Marik was still at the door, hesitating. "Damn it, Marik! GO ALREADY!" he screamed.

"Don't die!" Marik shouted as he took off. _I'll be back…don't die. _

Faolan was staring at where Marik had been standing. _Why? They still try to save that twerp. _He looked back, watching Bakura trying to dodge his father's attacks. He felt so empty. _Why doesn't anyone care about me? _

He crashed on top of the table. It felt like his whole back had shattered, but Bakura knew better. Rolling off before his father snapped the table in two, Bakura cursed his luck. His father had brass knuckles on. One hit to the face from those, you can say goodbye to your jaw.

His kicks did nothing. Every time he tried to get close, his father swung hard. The armspan of the senior Teishin was quite big.

_I only need one opening, _Bakura thought, rolling to the side again. _Just one…_

A gunshot. There was no blood, not that he could see. Who fired the gun?

_…Ouch…_Bakura stared down at his side. The bullet had grazed him, enough to knick him past the skin. Teishin straightened, turning around. A small form with a smoking barrel was revealed.

There stood Faolan.

"W-what?" Bakura grimaced as he held his bleeding side.

"I hate you," Faolan whispered. His grip on the handgun grew tighter. "I hate you!" he screamed. Hot tears slid down his cheeks as he aimed at Bakura again.

Teishin stepped back a little, his face amused.

Bakura, with his back against the wall, stared at his cousin. He was so confused. What the heck was his problem?

"It's always Ryou this, Ryou that!" Faolan shouted. "Everybody cares about the little boy that had a _terrible_ past. But you know what? I bet he made all that up, just to grab people's attention. Sure, he may look pretty, but I don't buy it. No one recovers that fast!"

Bakura slowly got up. Faolan watched him, his gun still pointing at him. Bakura was studying the ground, his thoughts killing him. _I should have noticed Faolan was feeling like this. It's just…I thought he was old enough to deal with it…Then again, he's only a few years older than Ryou._ "Faolan…Ryou is…special."

"I want to special, too!" Faolan shouted, close to the point of sobbing openly. His entire form shaking. "I want…I want Ryou to just disappear! I want you to only care for me!"

Bakura bit his lower lip, shaking his head. "I…Faolan, I can't."

"Wh-" Faolan dropped the gun and fell to his knees. Bakura couldn't bring himself to look at him. "Why not!?" the young one screamed. "Why not? Why not why not why not?" Bakura turned his head away, feeling the guilt eat away at him. Faolan crawled up to him and grabbed his leg, his eyes looking desperate. "Is it because I'm still pure?" he asked. "I-I can change that-"  
He had to slap him. It rang out, stunning his father, even himself. The expression that Faolan gave him almost made him regret it. But he didn't.

"You don't understand." Bakura curled his hands into fists. "It has nothing to do with innocence. It's just…I know that Ryou would never kidnap you and lock you up some place." Faolan took in a sharp breath. _How'd he know? _Bakura's cold gaze pierced him. "Never."

"Then I guess you'll have to suffer," an oddly elated tone said.

Teishin held the fallen gun in his hand, pointing it at Bakura. "Faolan, my dear boy," he cooed. "Why don't we try to persuade Bakura? Eh? To change his mind about you?"

One glance at Faolan was all he needed.

He knew he was going to die.

AN: Whew. That, for some reason, took a long time. I hope you liked it!


	15. Abandon Me

AN: I went back and read the last chapter. OMG! I've never made so many mistakes! I went back and editted. Sorry 'bout that, peeps. I hope you enjoy this enjoy! (I'll try to post the next chapter by Thurday night. Hopefully sooner!)

Rogue1979: Wait till you read this! …though I think that it may have a…different…effect on you. (grins) Talk about anticipation! Thanks for the review!

yamiyugi23: Hopefully, Ryou will be fine…hopefully. Read on! Thanks for the review!

dragonlady222: I don't think the servants like Faolan that much. He's a suck up to Senior Teishin. But yeah, I agree with you about his relationship with his parents. He really loves to have attention, but he also loves to hog it. Doesn't want to share, ya know? Thanks for the review!

Anime WarriorSkye: Oh! Yes, please! I hope you like this next chapter! It's…well, let's just say I surprised myself when I wrote it. Lol. Thanks for the review! And I look forward to the picture! Thanks a lot! (I don't know if my email shows up or not, but it's Vampire Prince : Why thank you! Lol. I agree with you about Faolan. He's really self-centered. He never learned to share when he was young, I guess. Thanks for the review!

Mika Sorano: Really? Hm…in my other fics, Bakura doesn't beat up Ryou. (grins) But I get your drift. There's a lot of Ryou-loves-Bakura-but-Bakura-does-too-but-he-doesn't-know-how-to-show-it-and-so-beats-up-Ryou story lines. I…I can't say anymore. Read on. Thanks for the review!

HanChan: I know! Teishin needs to shape up! I bet he didn't even wince when his wife died…that was a little harsh…maybe he did…a little…He's a terrible father, though. (pops him once on the head) Thanks for the review!

Chapter Fourteen: Abandon Me

People say that your life flashes before you when death comes close.

Bakura couldn't relate to that at all. He tried to block another punch, but he was too slow. Stars burst into his vision and made him a bit dizzy. So far, all he could see was spots of white and blotches of black. No Koro, no Mom, no Ryou, no, Marik. Nothing from the past. In fact, everything seemed fuzzy.

It was hard to breathe. Another fist barely connected with his side, the bleeding one. It didn't hurt too badly, but it was certainly going to leave a mark. He was getting lightheaded. He couldn't get his respiratory system to work right.

He had to take this…not only because he would get shot if he tried to anything besides dodging, but for Ryou and Marik. They needed time to get away.

_Away from what? _

Bakura nearly fainted when his father hit him right in the solar plexus. _Oh, right…him._ Gasping for air now, he tried to back away. Instead, he stumbled and fell. He couldn't get back up. His arms weren't up to it. Who was Ryou again?

Faolan crept forward and knelt next to him as Teishin gave him room. He analyzed Bakura for a few seconds before sympathetically saying, "I can make it stop."

Lavender eyes closed as Bakura chose to ignore him. What's this guy's name? …_Faolan. _This was a side of his cousin he hadn't known existed. _Is he my cousin? _It was almost sadistic that it was disgusting.

"If you promise to love me, I can make it stop," Faolan whispered. "See? I can do better than Ryou. I want to help you, Baku."

"Don't," Bakura huffed, "call me that." He grunted as he pushed himself up with the last of his strength. _Why do I have to take this? _A foot came down on his back and forced him to the floor again.

Bakura gritted his teeth as Teishin coaxed Faolan away. If only that man didn't have that gun!…and where the heck had Faolan gotten it? It didn't matter. His father was coming back. Bakura was trying to brace himself for the next series of attacks when the doors slammed open.

Everyone looked up.

A silhouette took there, just breathless. Bakura stared at him blankly. His mind wasn't up to functioning, either. Who was he again? _…Marik…why did he leave me?_

In Marik's arms was a tattered body that looked more like a cadaver then Ryou.

"B-Bakura…" He was back.

_Ryou's alive, right? _Swallowing hard, he attempted to stand once more. _Why isn't he moving? Ryou?…RYOU?! Was I…too late? _Bakura clenched his teeth and let out a growl.

_I have to…get up…Ryou, I'm coming. _Somebody shoved him back down. His arms crumpled. His mind screamed for his limbs to move, but all they did was tingle. _I…Why do I always…_He couldn't see in front of him…everything was blurring together. _Why can't I ever…save them? _One more try…

Then he saw something that brought a feeling of warmth. _Koro…_Bakura smiled softly at the teen standing before in the white light.

_---_

A small smile crept over Teishin's face as Bakura shuddered once, and was still. He glanced beside him for Faolan, and saw the boy stumbling toward Marik.

The flagstones rang with Faolan's heavy footsteps. "How'd you find him?" Faolan demanded loudly, shaking, pointing to Marik's arms. "H-how'd you f-find him? Wh-why did y-you find him?!" He was screaming now, and coming fast.

Marik was bewildered when Faolan completely broke down right in front of him.

"Why is he so goddamn special?!"

Marik looked away. What was wrong with the kid?

A roaring filled Marik's ears. Faolan was thrown out of the picture instantly. Bakura…why wasn't he moving? And that blood…

The body he was holding stirred. Marik's arms gave. Ryou fell unceremoniously on the ground, and let out a small cry. It hurt. He didn't want to get up. Why did he drop him?

The Egyptian didn't notice. His eyes were fixed on something.

And Faolan. Faolan was staring as well. _Faolan. _Memories flashed, of the hunger, of the darkness, of the seclusion.

With difficultly, Ryou got to his hands and knees with the intention of giving Faolan a piece of his mind. Halfway up, he saw it.

An unmoving form was sprawled on the ground, with Teishin's foot planted firmly on it.

Ryou took an unsteady step forward, his face revealing pain and incomprehension. No one said anything. No one moved.

Until Teishin kicked the body off the dinner podium.

Marik lost it.

Revenge. That's what he wanted right now. Real bad.

He let out a scream as he attacked Teishin. The element of surprise only last a few brief seconds, but allowed him three, well-placed kicks. A punch nearly blew apart his ribs, but Marik couldn't comprehend the agony since he felt so cold inside. He slashed, kicked, and screamed as if his life depended on it.

Teishin knew that Marik had come from the streets, but didn't know that he possessed such strength. He switched to the defensive, but he wasn't fast enough. He practically regretted kicking his son's corpse.

Sometime during the scuffle, Bakura's father dropped the gun and fell off the podium. He tried to resume a protective stance, but he was too slow. Marik immediately knocked him down again.

_Murderer…_He kicked Teishin again, and the man cried out. He even started whimpering.

_Damn bastard…_Marik took a chair and brought it down. Hard. There was a groan.

_I can't believe Bakura actually called you 'father'! _He took another chair, and another, and another. Repeatedly, they were splintered ruthlessly on Teishin, who's arms were covered in cuts.

Eventually, Teishin couldn't shield himself.

Marik brought up another oak chair. His vision was blurred with tears.

A small hand placed itself on his side.

Marik, surprised, let the chair fall beside him. When he saw Ryou, his anger fled. His energy was gone. The toll on his body was harsh, but it didn't matter. Bakura was…

The sound of a gun cocking brought him back to his senses.

Ryou had planted himself in front of the beaten Teishin, with the gun aimed at Bakura's father's chest.

His head was pounding. _I don't understand…_Marik tried to rest a hand on Ryou's shoulder, but the child shrugged it off violently.

Ducking his head down, the child shook ferociously. He was crying.

Marik couldn't believe it when Ryou brought his second hand to the trigger.

Ryou sniffed, trying to hold back the tears. "You…" he softly whispered. Ryou bit his lip, his grasp going rigid. "He never…he didn't…he was your _son_…"

_"Watch it!" someone barked as Ryou crashed into him. Ryou stumbled back a little. "Don't fool around-"_

_Lavender met brown. _

_**Y-you… **_

_"Help yourself," the tanned one said, grinning, "but watch the pan. It's hot." _

_He silently watched as the Egyptian took his own advice. He had to wait, until he was done…_

_A creak was heard. The white-haired guy was up. He stretched briefly until he noticed Ryou was watching. _

_"You'd better start gobbling up as much as you can before it's all gone, Ryou," he mumbled. _

_"I…have to wait for him to finish." _

_Bakura shook his head and gave a light laugh. _

_"Yeah, do that, and no food will be left." _

_**Why? Why did…**_

_"There's too many!" Ryou claimed, trying not to whine. "Bakura, pick for me." _

_Bakura grinned. "Let's start with something basic, then. Vanilla, chocolate, or strawberry?" _

_The child blinked, weighing his possibilities. "Vanilla!" _

_When he got it, it chilled his hand to the bone. He took a tentative bite. It was so cold! _

_Bakura was laughing. "Lick it!" _

_Ryou did so hesitantly. _

_It was the best thing he had ever tasted. _

_**I actually had people I treasured, and people who treasured me for who I am! **_

_"Ryou, I'm so sorry," Bakura murmured. All he could do was cry. "I'll watch over you from now on. No one will ever lay a hand on you. _No one._" _

_**Why?! **_

_**Why did you have to leave?! **_

Slamming his eyes shut, Ryou cried as he pulled the trigger.

AN: I hoped the reminisces were a good choice on my part…I didn't know if they stuck out like a sore thumb or what, ya know? Please review! I hope you enjoyed. (Don't kill me about Bakura!)


	16. Departure

AN: THIS CHAPTER IS KINDA SHORT!! I promise the next chapter will be longer than usual.

Rogue1979: Really? Thanks! I thought it was pretty intense, too. I hope you enjoy the next chapter. Thanks for the review!

dragonlady222: The thought of Ryou as a killer is kinda hard to imagine, no? And poor Bakura indeed! As for Teishin…(clenches fists) Thanks for the review!

Anei Aikouka: Whoa, whoa! Lol. Sorry about making you depressed. Thanks for the review! Please read on!

The Vampire Prince: Hehe. Thanks. I hope you like the next chapter. Hope it's not too…abrupt. Thanks for the review!

Anime WarriorSkye: Wow! Thanks a lot! Hm, who to glomp…hehe. You're right; you can't help but want to glomp Ryou, Bakura, and Marik. Thanks for the review!

Mika Sorano: Faolan is Bakura's cousin. And yes, you're right; he's an only child. But he also had a kind of troubled past. His father would always tell him to study. However, it doesn't give him the right to do what he did! Thanks for the review!

Chapter Fifteen: Departure

The recoil of the gun threw him back. He didn't miss. The bullet dug itself into the arm, but Teishin wasn't dead yet.

This time, Marik stepped forward and grabbed the gun. The resistance he expected wasn't there. Ryou just let go and fell to his knees, sobbing.

_Why'd it have to come to this? _Marik thought, anguished.

Marik saw Teishin's head slump down as well. He must have lost consciousness when he was shot. One glance at the wound told him it wasn't fatal, but if it kept bleeding, it would be.

He stared at it for a little bit, thinking of blowing another hole into the man. _…Kura wouldn't approve…_

"Ryou, let's go." He turned to leave, and found himself face to face with Faolan.

Ryou, his eyes blank now, came forward and took ahold of Marik's hand as Faolan bowed. "P-please," Faolan begged. "Leave Bakura here. I…I'll care for the body."

Marik growled. "Sick bastard. Not if I can do something about it." He stepped past Faolan and made for Bakura. _I should've stayed behind, you idiot!_ he thought. _I was always the better fighter. Why'd you make me go? _He knew why, but he didn't want to believe it. Quickly wiping the tears away, Marik bent down to pick up Bakura.

"Don't touch him!" Faolan shouted. He knelt next to Bakura and sprawled his arms on the teen. "Don't take him away!"

Marik was sick of this place. He just wanted to leave with Bakura, and return to the way things were. When Bakura was still alive.

It was Ryou that spoke next. He said coldly, "I don't think he'd want to stay with you."

The Egyptian froze. He had never heard such harsh words from the child before.

"Get off of him." Ryou lifted his gaze just enough to glare at Faolan. "Now."

Marik awkwardly stepped between the two and picked up Bakura. He didn't want any more problems. He just wanted to leave!

Faolan started protesting, stamping, shouting, begging. Ryou and Marik ignored him as they strode for the door. He tugged on Marik's sleeve one last time before he was stilled with Marik's defiant stare.

They left him, silently and swiftly. When they were in the courtyard, Marik laid Bakura's body down near the staircase. Tiredly, he pulled out his cellular phone and dialed 911.

"Help at Teishin Manor, please. There's a bleeding man and a fanatical boy…yes…Yes, an ambulance would be fine…"

Ryou wandered to the left a little. He couldn't face being near Bakura, when the teen…It hurt too much.

When he was in the darkness, he had convinced himself that Bakura wasn't coming. He told himself that no one cared, and that he was going to die there alone. He couldn't even remember who Bakura and Marik were, after feeling so bitter about being betrayed. _Bakura…_The child choked back a sob. He had been wrong, terribly wrong. Bakura and Marik had been looking all over for him. They never deceived him, they never gave up…but he had. _Bakura! _

Someone sat next to him and slung on arm over the lamenting child's shoulder.

Ryou held onto Marik, crying. Crying for himself, for Marik, for Bakura.

---

By the time the medics arrived, Ryou was lost to time again. Pulling his knees to his chest, he absently pulled at the grass as Marik directed the people into the building. Stretchers were yanked open with ease, and raced into the building. An unwilling Marik went with them, his face pale.

A flurry of activity busied the main portion of the home turf. An inspector came up to Ryou. His long trench coat and hat didn't match him, and his mustache should not have been there.

"Hey, kid, could you answer some questions?" he asked, pulling out a notepad and pen.

Ryou didn't say anything. He buried his head into his arms, which rested on his knees. He didn't want to talk to anyone right now.

The man wasn't discouraged. "So what happened here?" he asked.

_Just go away,_ Ryou thought dully. _Just…go away…_He felt so void of everything right now. He didn't want contact with anyone.

"Kid?"

He wasn't going anywhere. Feeling irritable, Ryou finally answered curtly, "A fight."

The inspector scribbled it down quickly before asking for details. Ryou just shook his head.

"Well, you must know who was involved," the inspector said simply, smiling when Ryou glared at him. "Come, come. A fight between who?"

Ryou glowered at the man a little more before pursing his lips. "The master of the manor and his son."

More scribbling.

"Why? What would cause such a hassle between the two? I mean, it's a father and son! They share the deepest bonds of-"

"It wasn't just a hassle. Someone died." Ryou ducked his head down, forcing the tears back. "Because of me," was what Ryou wanted to add.

"Was there really no one else around?"

This man was getting on his nerves. "No! Only a friend, a family member, and me!"

There was silence. No scribbling. Ryou looked up to see what had stopped the man. Instead of writing frantically, the inspector was staring at him.

"But," he said quizzically, "there are only four of you."

Now it was Ryou's turn to stare at the man. _He probably didn't see Bakura…_"Did you not see the body near the staircase?" he asked softly.

"What body?"

Heaving a sigh, Ryou got up. _Maybe if I show him, he'll leave me alone._ He led the way to the entrance of the house, dodging the rushing medics. "It's right there, the master's son…"

He trailed off. Where he was pointing, there was no body.

AN: Well? Well? Please review!


	17. My Name

AN: Hehe. Sorry 'bout that cliffie. Just didn't feel right, though, adding more after that.

Rogue1979: Oh, okay. (grins) I took it off! Thanks for telling me. Was it really that good? I'm glad. I tried to create a little…yeah. Lol. Thanks for the review!

dragonlady222: Yeah, me too. Wait till you've this chapter, though! Thanks for the review!

Anime WarriorSkye: lol. I was going for a cliffhanger. I'm glad I pulled it off. I hope you like the next chapter. And if my email still doesn't show up, both my cousin's and mine are at yahoo. Thanks for the review, and thanks for going through all this trouble!

The Vampire Prince: Me, the mean one? Lol. Riiight. Thanks for the review! Hope you like the next chapter.

Mika Sorano: Faolan's a little loopy in the head. (shudders) What the heck was he going to do with Bakura's body? As for Ryou, it wouldn't have felt right to make the kid a murderer, ya know? Thanks for the review!

Chapter Sixteen: My Name

He knew it was naïve. It was completely beyond any reasoning. Impossible for a body to move on its own! He was gone, long gone! Yet…there was still a little voice inside that said, "What if he's still alive?"

Marik scratched his head in irritation. Okay, back to the beginning…well…let's say Bakura couldn't move. So then how'd he disappear? _Someone could have just lugged him away…_That, too…_ It couldn't have been Faolan…he was put in that juvenile dil-somethen place. _Anyone else crazy enough to carry away a deceased person? _There are insane people all over the place. Any one of them could have-_

"Marik?"

The Egyptian's head jerked up. Ryou poked his head out of Bakura's room, upbeat. "Yeah?" Ever since the possibility of Bakura being alive, Ryou had been very optimistic.

"You should sleep soon. It's past one in the morning."

Marik sighed before grinning. "You sound like Kura."

Sheepishly smiling, Ryou called good night before turning in himself.

_Bakura…if you knew how lifeless Ryou had been when he thought you were dead, I don't think you would've left…He's so happy, just knowing that you may be alive…_With regret, Marik let his head fall into his propped up hands as he groaned. _Why the heck did this have to happen? _

Ryou, leaning against the closed door, knelt down in prayer.

_God, if you can hear me, please…please let Bakura come back home. _

---  
Months later…  
---

The past few weeks consisted of a familiar routine. After getting up, Marik made breakfast while Ryou searched the newspaper for anything about their white-haired friend. Then, after finding nothing, they would go shopping or fishing before lunch at Fay's.

Time passed slowly these days. Marik found projects that would consume their open afternoon for hours, such as building a playhouse, re-painting the deck, even making birdhouses.

It was hard on Ryou, but the child was determined. He knew Bakura was alive. He had to be.

Marik himself was faltering, but whenever he saw the fire in the chocolate brown eyes, he felt revitalized. It was because of Ryou's cheerfulness that he continued to scan the crowds at markets and look for anyone with white hair.

Everything was going fine until the letter came. It was outlined in black and addressed to Marik.

When he broke the seal and read the first line, he dropped it.

Curiously, Ryou put down his bowl of cereal and picked it up.

It read:

_Mr. Marik Ishtar, _

_We apologize for the inconvenience, but we require your confirmation of the deceased Bakura Teishin. There is a list of forms you must sign and return to us. It states that Bakura Teishin has legitimately passed away, which is necessary for the newspaper obituary to publish so. Again, we are sorry for the time and trouble, and sorry for your loss. _

_Sincerely, _

_D.A.A. _

Ryou blinked. He didn't get some of the big words, but he did get the main idea. Why? Why were they giving up on Bakura? He's still alive! …isn't he?

"Do we have to?" Ryou asked hoarsely.

For the first time after the disappearance of Bakura's body, Marik saw the hollowness of the child's spirit. Swallowing hard, he nodded.

The car ride was silent. The rented sedan purred along smoothly past the open fields of the countryside, which Ryou stared at absently. Marik kept his eyes on the road, his knuckles white from his grip. Neither spoke a word.

A big, brick building appeared, sticking out like a sore thumb. Marik turned into the parking lot as Ryou read the sign: Drug Abolition Alliance.

He frowned as they climbed out of the car. "Is this the right place?" he murmured.

Marik, who was focused on the double doors, nodded. "It is."

_Huh? _Ryou glanced at the sign once more before seeing Marik walk inside. He ran to catch up, and once inside, held his breath.

The long, blue counter had only three receptionists. Marik marched up to one of them with the papers clutched in his hands.

Looking over her bifocals, the lady raised an eyebrow.

"In da back."

A huge hangar was in the back, with thousands of boxes stacked on top of each other. Trucks moved loads at a time, with men carrying crates everywhere. Marik frowned. What was all this?

Ryou slipped his hand into the Egyptians as they stepped forward.

Hollers and shouts hounded their hearing as they trudged across the bustling ground. The control room at the center of the building loomed before them as they drew near.

A man stopped them. "What are ya here fer?" he asked suspiciously.

Marik was about to answer when he was tugged back.

Nearly losing his balance, Marik lurched a few steps before turning to glare at Ryou.

"Look," Marik grumbled. "I don't like this any better than you, but-what?"

Ryou was waving his hands like crazy, his eyes lit up. He grabbed Marik's collar and pulled him closer, then pointed.

_A tall teen with wild hair was hauling a box through the hangar._

_A tall teen with WHITE hair._

Marik took a sharp breath. It couldn't be…

Dumbfounded, they just stared.

Until the teen turned the corner, going outside…and out of their sight.

Ryou jumped into action. He called out Bakura's name as he dashed madly after him. He nearly pitched onto his face once, but quickly righted himself.

It took a while to click. _Bakura? _The papers slipped out of his hands as Marik started to grin. His heart was pounding and his ears deafening as he chased after the child, forgetting about the man in front of him.

Marik nearly lost sight of Ryou. The little figure was dashing through the workers like a busy bee. Following the slight drift in traffic that Ryou created, Marik went on.

He caught up in no time, and by now, the white-haired teen was only a few hundred feet away, loading his box into the back of a pickup.

"Bakura!" Ryou was about to crash into him as he turned around.

Surprise evident in the teen's face, his held his hands up in surrender.

"Holy crap!"

Ryou froze. Terrified green eyes stared back at his brown ones.

There was silence as Marik halted behind Ryou.

"You…you're not Bakura…" Ryou whispered despairingly. His shoulders dropped as he bit back tears.

_"Who the hell keeps shouting my name?!" _

There was a crash as someone stomped out from the front of the truck, oil streaks on the front of his shirt with a wrench in his hand. Smudges of black were strewn all over the untamed white hair while angry lavender eyes glared back.

Speechless. Marik and Ryou were both speechless.

Ryou tried to talk, to say something, anything! He wanted to say everything at once! How much he had missed him, what had happened, how he was worried…Nothing came out, though. He started trembling.

"B-Bakura…" Ryou hesitantly reached out.

Bakura growled, his hands balling into fists. "That's my name! Now who the hell are you, and what do you want?"

Stunned, Ryou choked back a gasp. _W…what? _

AN: Please read and review! I'll try to have the next chapter up by Sunday! (And the D.A.A. isn't where information of deceased people really go.)


	18. Sorry Doesn't Cut It

AN: Sorry this is like, four days late! When I posted chapter 16, I completely forgot about my history and English essay. Argh…four pages each, with works cited, and a science project as well!! (shudders) Anyways, let's continue.

dragonlady222: No, it's not Koro. He's…really gone. And Ryou…geez, meeting a Bakura who doesn't know him. I hope Bakura remembers soon, too! Thanks for the review!

Rogue1979: I'm sorry it's taken so long to update! My grades are a big thing for my parents…'Get at least a 3.8, or we'll kick you out of the house!' I feel sorry for Bakura, and especially Ryou. I mean, all those times they spent together, just…gone. Thanks for the review!

Anime WarriorSkye: Hehe. Thanks! I had a hard time about that…I knew he was still alive, but I didn't know how to bring him back. (I didn't want him to come back instantly) Thought about making him blind, but then, it would be really hard to…yeah. Lol. Thanks for the review! (Our emails didn't come up, but it's just our penname at yahoo.)

The Vampire Prince: lol. I've updated, and I'm sorry it's late! I hope you like it, kay? (And yes, I had to leave it off there! It wouldn't have sounded right, adding more, ya know?) Thanks for the review!

Mika Sorano: You'll find out later. Just wait til you read this! (shivers) I don't know what your reactions will be…it's…well, I thought the ending was good. Thanks for the review!

Chapter Seventeen: Sorry Doesn't Cut It

Bakura alone saw the tears. Something stung his insides, but before he could say anything, the albino-like child whirled around and ran off.

_Who is he? _

"What'd I do?" he wondered out loud, his brows knitted in confusion. Irritated yet slightly feeling guilty, Bakura shrugged. He turned toward the staring eyes of the tanned person in front of him. They studied each other before Bakura growled, "And I suppose you know me as well?"

Marik shook his head. "Why would I?" he asked amusedly.

"Because the kid thought he did," Bakura barked back.

Taken aback by the outburst, Marik murmured under his breath, "I forgot how arrogant he could be." Clearing his throat, the Egyptian said, "I'm sorry for disturbing you. My name is Marik. If I may go find my companion before we sit down and have a chat?"

"And why would I want to talk with you?"

Smiling pleasantly, Marik bowed. When his gaze locked Bakura's, it wasn't so friendly. "I would really appreciate it."

There was a huff as the ignored boy on the truck's bumper jumped off. "Bakura, c'mon. We have to deliver this load before noon."

Marik nodded in understanding as Bakura said, "Here, in about two hours?" He grunted before saying, "Alright. Let's get out of here, Kieale."

Kieale muttered, "Finally!" before running into the shotgun seat of the pickup.

Marik was about to say something before Bakura said, "Don't be late."

Grinning, Marik replied, "I was about to say the same to you."

He watched the red automobile rumble away before turning around. _I've got to find Ryou…_

Little did he know hat he wouldn't find the child, no matter how hard he looked.

---

Ryou angrily wiped his sleeve against his eyes, pulling his knees closer. He hiccupped slightly, trying not to cry. _How come he doesn't remember me? _He knew the answer, but he didn't want to think it was possible. It was so unfair! First, that man who saved him. _Only for a day, _Ryou thought bitterly. Another part of him whispered, _But he gave you something you treasure._ Ryou fiercely buried the thought.

"Here a yer orders, sir," a gruff voice said.

"All in these here boxes?" a light voice asked. It almost sounded familiar…

"Yup…I mean, yessir."

The child froze as someone starting taking apart his hiding place.

It wasn't until he saw the blonde hair that he actually tried to scramble away.

Too late…

Ryou stared at the man who had pinned him. The boy started quivering as the man gently placed a hand over his mouth.

There was a chuckle. "Look at what I found…a lost puppy, coming back to its owner."

---

"You're late!" Bakura shouted as Marik ran out to the truck. "My next shift is in half an hour. I hope whatever it is that you have to say is short. I'd like lunch," he pouted.

Then the teen actually looked at Marik. _There's something wrong, _Bakura thought. He looked…distressed. _Pf! Sure, that's one way of putting it. _

Marik, resting his hands on his knees while trying to catch his breath, sputtered, "Have you seen Ryou?"

"Who?"

"The little kid!"

Bakura thought for a moment before he shook his head, finding himself concerned and worried. Shaking it off instantly, he asked, "Can you not find him?"

"He's probably just wandering around, looking at all the stuff. It's not everyday that you see so many illegal products in one place, ya know?" Kieale piped. He grinned as Marik gapped.

"What?" Marik stared at Bakura. "I-Illegal?"

Bakura shrugged. "All this stuff is drugs. No cop comes near here, though, 'cause…" Bakura grinned. "Let's just say we have an arsenal they're jealous of." Then he waved off his partner in a joking way, but rather forcibly. "Git! We gotta have a chat."

Scowling, the man left, shaking a fist in the air. Kieale was slightly disappointed. He wanted to know what they were going to talk about! He sighed. "I'll look fer the kid!"

Silently, Marik thanked him.

Bakura leaned against the truck, staring at the bronzed boy. His legs crossed, he tried to ask something, but Marik cut him off.

"Since when did you start dealing with illegal things?" he blurted.

The look he received was dirty. _Don't kill me, Bakura! _Marik thought, mentally wincing. He hadn't spoken so rashly in a while.

Then the white-haired teen looked away, staring at something only he could see. "I…They found me next to the river. They think that someone tried to drown me." Marik frowned. That made no sense. Who would take a deceased body and try to _drown_ it? _Unless they knew that he was still alive…_Bakura continued. "They said…that if someone tried to kill me, then I must've done something wrong. So I got offered a place to work, sleep, and eat." Bakura sighed. "Of course, I took it."

Marik studied the teen before saying, "That's not what I meant, but okay."

"What'd you mean, then?"

Before he answered, Marik hesitantly asked, "Do you remember anything from your past?"

"No."

"What about some guy named Koro?"

"Nope."

Marik took a deep breath. How the heck are you supposed to break it to someone that they have amnesia?

"You…have problems…I mean…" Marik struggled with words, rearranging and discarding them.

"Memory loss?" Bakura asked softly. Marik slowly nodded, blushing slightly. Lavender eyes gazed at the ground. "I know. I figured as much…but if someone tried to kill me, I thought it wasn't worth trying to remember."

"Why?!"

Bakura was stunned by the sharp and upset tone. "Well, be-cause…someone tried to kill me?" He scoffed. "I must've done something really deplorable. Because they didn't just _try _to kill me, they wanted me to die painfully. The people who found me said that I was still bleeding. Heh. I guess I must've like…I dunno, raped someone, ya know?"

Marik slapped him. Hard.

When Bakura looked at him with bewilderment, Marik backhanded him.

"Don't say things like that!" Marik shouted. He didn't notice that he was crying, but Bakura did. Then Marik glanced at his hand before quickly stuffing it into a pocket, glaring at everything but Bakura. More to himself, Marik heatedly whispered, "Why can't you remember, goddamn it?"

The teen heard the words. Something hurt inside, but Bakura didn't know what. He knew that he had said something wrong, but the other half retorted that he was right, and this guy in front of him was crazy. His head felt like it was splitting open, but it quickly faded.

Swallowing hard, Bakura murmured, "I'm sorry."

Marik shook his head, turning to leave. "I…I…" He bit his tongue to keep himself from saying something rash again, but to no avail.

Quietly, but loud enough for Bakura to hear, he muttered, "I can't believe you don't remember Ryou."

AN: Again, I'm sorry it's late! (Kieale is pronounced 'Kyle') Thanks for all your support! I think that this is going to end around twenty one or two chapters…I think…


	19. This is Now

AN: Geez, I'm so burnt out from school! So much homework from all my classes. This chapter may be a little rushed…or a lot…If it's really rushed, please tell me! (I'll re-edit it, then)

dragonlady222: I wonder what will happen if Bakura's memory never comes back…(ponders a bit) Er…yeah…this story would go on for forever. Lol. I'd get like, writer's block. Thanks for the review!

Rogue1979: It was a little harsh on Marik's part, wasn't it? But I feel sorry for him…his best friend doesn't remember him! Or Ryou! Thanks for the review!

Anime WarriorSkye: Same here! I procrastinate like crazy. Lol. I don't know how I'll keep my GPA up for all four years of high school. Thanks for the review, and I look forward to it!

Mika Sorano: I don't think you'll like the guys that nabbed him…read on! And as for Bakura and Marik…well, how would you feel if your friend forgot you? (Well…maybe Marik was a little harsh…) Thanks for the review!

The Vampire Prince: You shall find out soon! Be patient, and read on! Lol. Tell me if it was rushed, okay? Thanks for the review!

Chapter Eighteen: This is Now

Kieale heaved another box into the pickup, humming. It was terribly out of tune and the rhythm made no sense at all, but Bakura didn't seem to notice. Kieale was getting a little irritated about his partner's peculiar behavior. Ever since that dark-skinned guy had left, Bakura was very quiet. His face was even red on one side, from the slap he had received.

When Kieale had seen the Egyptian raise a hand against Bakura, he wanted to…just…argh! But Bakura had stopped him, his eyes almost glaring.

The teen left, huffing something about finding a little kid. That was when Kieale told Baku about the next delivery. Bakura nodded blankly and went about their usual routine rather slowly.

"Say, what'd you guys talk about?" Kieale asked, getting a rope out of the vehicle to secure the crates.

Bakura slammed the back shut and grabbed one end of the rope. Tying it tightly, he murmured, "Just stuff."

"Well, ya seen really down about it," Kieale remarked. Then he dusted his hands and got into the car. "Let's go."

"Yeah…" Bakura climbed into the driver's seat. "Is this the last one of the day?"

Kieale nodded, buckling up.

The engine sprang to life as they drove off. The whole ride was kind of slow. Bakura seemed to be deep in thought, which kind of annoyed his partner. He wanted to know what the Egyptian had said! But whenever he brought it up, the lavender-eyed teen just shook his head.

By the time they reached their destination, Bakura was a bit more active. Driving past the steel gates, he entered the providence of some guy called…er…something or other…He dismissed the importance of the name as he pulled up in front of the place. Glancing at his watch, he thought, _We're early. _

Kieale got out of the car and stretched. Then he went to ring the doorbell as Bakura started unloading the truck.

Yakuza came out, their black suits almost indistinguishable in the dimming sky. Their sunglasses looked familiar to Bakura, but he thought nothing of it with the exception of looking tacky.

"Here's the load of stuff you ordered," Bakura said, handing the box to the biggest guy.

The man shook his head. "I don't touch that stuff. You bring it in."

Bakura shrugged, shouldered the crate, and stepped inside.

The house was quite luxuriant, with many…bright colors. _Pff, that's one way of putting it,_ Bakura thought, eyeing the neon colors patterned on the wall.

He was about to set the box down when another guy in a suit shook his head and pointed up the stairs. "Take it up there. Last room on the right."

Bakura fought down a sigh. These guys would probably kill him for such a show of disrespect. After all, he was only a delivery boy.

Kieale stepped in behind him, and gasped at the house.

"Whoa…"

One of the men stepped forward and shoved Kieale back. "You stay outside and unload the boxes. This guy will take them. It'll get the work done faster."

Bakura was about to laugh at the stupidity of the man. Instead, he shrugged and started going up the stairs.

If he thought that the downstairs was vibrant, he was quite mistaken. The walls on the second floor had dull, but multitudes of different colors.

_What a weird house, _he thought, turning left. _Last room…_

The door loomed before him, and something struck him funny. This was quite a lavish door for a storage room…

He cracked the door open, and nearly dropped his package.

There, on a king-size bed, was a naked man.

_Now I know why this place is so colorful, _Bakura thought, swallowing hard. He started backing away when his eye caught something else.

A small, clothed child with white hair…

His name was…

_**I can't believe you don't remember-**_

Ryou…

There was struggling coming from the child as the man caressed his face.

"_Hush, little baby, don't you cry," _the undressed man sang quietly. He smiled, his handsome face nearly glowing in the candlelit room. He reached for the child's shirt, sliding one hand under it.

"I'm not crying," the boy stated, almost whining. However, his voice shook, and nearly cracked. "Mithos, please don't…don't do this…"

Bakura's heart started palpitating.

"Mithos…stop…" the little boy whimpered, trembling.

_Why…why am I feeling so distressed…_Bakura bit his lip. _This isn't my business. I should just turn around and lea-_

"You belong to _me_," Mithos hissed, discarding the article of clothing onto the floor. "And you better have kept your innocence for me, Ryou." Mithos took ahold of the pants and pulled. "Or you won't like the consequences."

As soon as his legs were free, Ryou tried to kick the blonde-haired man. For his troubles, he missed and was grabbed roughly by the arm.

"Since when did you grow so bold?!" Mithos whispered harshly. He stared at Ryou for a minute before flipping the boy on to his stomach. "Your innocence hasn't been touched yet, has it?"

"Get away!" Ryou nearly broke down as hands grabbed his hips and something positioned itself behind him.

"You're lucky those straps on the bed broke!" Mithos snapped.

He tried to thrash out of that man's grip, but it was no use. _You promised…_He bit back the tears. He didn't want to seem any more helpless than he was now. _You promised me!_

Mithos groaned loudly, grinning. "Ready, little one?" Ryou slammed his eyes shut.

**_I'll watch over you from now on. No one will ever lay a hand on you. No one. _**

He screamed his name. He wanted him to come back. He wanted him to stop it all.

Or maybe he just screamed to drown out the pain.

Whichever it was, when it came down to it, there was no pain.

Someone held him close, held him tight. Someone kept him from that monster, from the shame.

And it was that someone who was crying, not him.

Ryou slowly opened his eyes, hoping against all hope, that it was who he thought it was.

His wish was answered when he saw the misted lavender.

A tear hit his face as Bakura looked away, quivering.

How could he have forgotten? Ryou, who was once submissive, but no more. The child that had overcome every one of his inner walls with ease and brought a warm feeling to him. Those eyes, once dead and tedious, now full of life.

Bakura pulled Ryou closer, asking himself, _Where was I when he grew up? _

Something hit his back, and needless to say, it was quite disgusting.

Mithos pulled his length back, completely taken by surprise. Ryou gripped Bakura tightly, never wanting to let go. Just from that one glance into Bakura's eyes, he knew that he remembered. Over his guardian's shoulder, he glared at Mithos.

Bakura worked quickly, standing and backing away. He pulled his coat off and draped it over Ryou's shoulders, covering his exposed body. Then he forced the boy behind him as Mithos came toward him.

"He's mine! Mine mine mine!" Mithos screeched, his face flushed red.

Wordlessly, Bakura kept his place and assumed a defensive stance.

"You can't steal toys! He belongs to me! I found him! I saved him! I-"

Bakura shut him up with a backhanded slap. Then he coldly said, "He belongs to no one. He is his own person."

Holding his offended cheek, Mithos blinked back tears of pain. "No," Mithos snarled. "He knows he belongs to me. He is mine." He bent down a little, leveling Ryou. His face changed as he relaxed. "Come back, little one," he cooed, "Then maybe, I won't punish you too badly."

Ryou stared at Mithos. A year ago, he probably would've ran back to Mithos and begged for forgiveness. But now…he felt…different. _Kura is here._ He smiled softly.

His eyes blazing with newfound confidence, Ryou stepped closer to Bakura. Then he slid his hand into Bakura's.

AN: Well? Was it rushed? I think I might've rushed it…argh! Please review!


	20. Dark

AN: I'm so sorry about how late this chapter is. My computer has a virus, but I can't seem to get rid of it. I've tried at least three different software programs and nothing seems to help. As soon as I log on, internet freezes and Word doesn't open. Even Solitaire doesn't work! I hate having to reboot my computer, because I basically lose EVERYTHING. Well, here I am again, with the next chapter (typing it on my couz's comp). I hope you like it, and I'm terribly sorry about the delay.

A good thing: it's snowing!

dragonlady222: I hope you like this chapter. I worked hard and fast (only had an hour) to get this finished. Whew…All those yakuza…How to get out indeed. Thanks for the review!

The Vampire Prince: Mithos is 24 years old. And thanks for letting me use your computer! (And thanks for the review!)

Rogue1979: I think you're going to like chapter 20…lol. I'm glad the last chapter wasn't rushed. I hope you like this one. I tried my best on this (only had an hour) and if anything needs to be fixed, just tell me. Thanks for the review!

Anime WarriorSkye: Er…no, I didn't get it…Geez, I don't like all this mail address blocking stuff! Thanks for trying, though. Could you send it to me once more? (And yes, I'll forward it to my couz as soon as I get it) Thanks for the review! I hope you like the next chapter.

Thank you for your patience, and here's the next chapter!

Chapter Nineteen: Dark

The simple gesture made his blood freeze. _W-what?_

His mind tumbled about as he tried to figure out what was going on. Why didn't Ryou come back to him? _I am the master! _Mithos thought angrily. Determined brown eyes, which once looked upon him with fear, steadily glared back at him. Defiance was something Mithos had only faced a few times, and both resulted in-

_Death._ Mithos slowly grinned. _If I can't have my toy, then _no one_ can. _

Ryou felt chills go down his spine when he saw the look on Mithos' face. Trying to keep his courage high, the child clenched the warm hand tighter and pulled the coat closer around his bare frame.

The door flew open as the first yakuza stormed in. Pushing Ryou back, Bakura took a step forward to meet his opponent with a spinning hook kick to the chin. The man was down in no time, but three more were there to take his place.

He had no time to think. Thrusting a cross block at the incoming kick, Bakura delivered a swift roundhouse at the man's midsection. He tried to turn around, but he wasn't fast enough. He grunted as someone assaulted his back before driving a fist right between the shades of another yakuza.

There was a short scream as Ryou backed away from a black suited man. Frantically, he grabbed the nearest item and brought it onto his assailant with a loud clang. One of the shards of the lamp's bulb nicked his cheek, drawing a thin line of blood. Quickly dropping the remaining handle of the lamp, Ryou tried to move away from any other attackers.

Upon hearing the child's cry, Bakura glanced back at him.

He tried to stop him...but...

Ryou backed right into Mithos.

One hand gripped his shoulder painfully hard, fingernails digging into the skin. Ryou tried to call for help, but another hand forcefully kept his mouth shut. Mithos stood still, trembling anxiously.

Bakura took a step forward, fist raised.

"Stop…or else I'll do something you won't like…" Mithos smiled, craning his neck forward and pecking Ryou on the cheek.

Bakura tried to calm his nerves. They were all screaming, telling him to do anything but stop. Rage and hatred surged through his veins as two yakuza forced him to his knees.

The man kept his eyes on Bakura as he ran a hand slowly across the boy's bare chest. The child shuddered, not liking how his body responded to Mithos' cold hands. He turned his head away when Mithos tried to kiss him again.

"Now look at the mess you made," Mithos sneered, sweeping his hand toward the many damaged bodies of his yakuza. It seemed he had no hard feelings about his men by the way his smile never faltered. "I'm just curious, but…who the heck are you?" Mithos narrowed his eyes. "I don't like men who try to steal my toys."

Bakura remained silent, giving no answer. All he did was stare at Mithos.

This didn't seem to faze the man a bit. He ordered one of the four yakuza to hold Ryou as he knelt in front of Bakura.

"Do you know who I am?"

Bakura blinked, then looked away, as if he had lost interest. _This guy sounds like a friggin' kid. What is he? Like, 25 years old? _"You're just some perv with a lot of problems."

Mithos bit his lip. Then he slapped him.

"That's payback for this," Mithos explained, pointing to his cheek. It was still a bright pink from Bakura's cuff. Then he backhanded Bakura. "That's for breaking into my house." One more slap. "For disrespect towards me." Dusting his hands, Mithos rose and motioned for another bodyguard.

Bakura's eyes glinted in remembrance as the man named Blake walked up to him.

"Ryou, what do we do to people who disobey?" asked Mithos sweetly, settling himself on the bed.

Suddenly pulled into the conversation, the child swallowed hard and shrugged, at a loss for words. The yakuza behind him shoved the boy onto the bed. With a yelp, Ryou found himself lying next to Mithos.

Mithos caressed the child's face as he softly said, "We punish them." Bakura wasn't prepared for the blow. It came hard and fast, hitting his solar plexus right on. He doubled over in pain and choked on the stomach acid that ran up his thraot. "I don't like people that try to steal," Mithos continued. "Especially from me." Blake threw an uppercut at Bakura's stomach.

There was a crash as Blake stumbled backwards. Bakura had slammed his head into the yakuza's without much trouble.

"Would you just give up already?!" Mithos reached for the coat, the only thing standing between him and his toy. "I hate people like you, who think that toys shouldn't be played with."

Lavender eyes blanked for a moment. "He's not…a goddamn toy!" He threw a fist into one yakuza, and an elbow into the other. Before any bodyguard could make a move, he was on Mithos.

Bakura punched Mithos in the face several times before Blake pulled him off. In his hand was a pocketknife, but that didn't register in Bakura's mind. _He's a human! He's got a right to live, just like any other friggin' person. He is not an object! Ryou is Ryou! _With a scream, Bakura kicked Blake off. The man grabbed the teen's feet, only to be kicked in the face. He tried to slash Bakura with the dagger, but he missed. Both were on their feet now. A shadow crossed Bakura's mind. _I'm sick of this…It's so pathetic. If this perv can't understand…I'll make him. _He grinned. He liked that idea. More kicking ensued before a thud resounded in the room as the last bodyguard was slammed into a wall, knocked unconscious.

Ryou lurched off the bed and reached for Bakura.

Blood dripped onto the ground as Bakura turned around, ignoring the child.

_Mithos is alone. _He grinned. _My turn. _

AN: I'll try to update as soon as I can, and re-edit when I can. My computer is still down, and I can only spend so much time at my couz's house with school in session. I hope you liked the chapter, and again, I'm sorry for the delay. (And I'm sorry it's short!...was it confusing? Please review!) Forgive me if it isn't that great. If it needs work, I'll do it as soon as I can (just tell me).


	21. Humanity

AN: Here's the next chapter! I got a computer fixed about a week ago, and my cousin is already at my back about updating! I'm here now, okay?! Lol. I'm sorry it took so long. The parts didn't arrive until a few weeks. (We ordered online.) And I've been trying to recover everything I lost. All my music, my documents, my pictures. Whew…

dragonlady222: I wonder…if you'll like this one. I tried to make it flow as best as I could. Enjoy! Thanks for the review.

Rogue1979: I can now update as much as I want! My computer is up and running, and working. Unless I catch another bug (which would REALLY tick me off). I hope you find the next chapter…satisfying. Thanks for the review!

Mika Sorano: I sooo agree with you. Ryou most definitely needs a hug, and Mithos should be locked up some far away place in isolation. I'm sorry it took so long to update. The last two will be here before Christmas. Thanks for the review!

The Vampire Prince: Hey! Here's the next chapter, so you can quit calling me everyday to pester me about it. Thanks for the review, and for helping with my computer. You're the best, couz.

Chapter Twenty: Humanity

He pulled the knife of his arm, slowly, never taking his eyes away from those trembling ones. Now that there were no yakuza, the pervert was finally scared. The knife fell to the ground with a clatter as his arm coursed with blood. But pain was another matter entirely. He felt nothing inside except a coolness that seemed to consume everything.

_He will pay. _

Bakura bent over and picked the switchblade up. He flicked it closed, but held it tightly in his hand. Mithos' eyes were on the knife the entire time as Bakura knelt in front of him.

"I would slap you, but it doesn't seem like it's worth the effort." Bakura studied his hand for a minute. "I…I don't like you." In a sudden and swift movement, he shoved Mithos into the wall.

Stars exploded into the blonde man's vision as his head hit the wall. Bakura threw a punch into the man's midsection, grinding his fist hard.

There was a short scream, then sobbing as Mithos held his head in pain. Tears bordered his eyes as he glared at Bakura with pure hate.

Bakura leaned in, baring his teeth. "No one belongs to anyone."

**_Collars are like a symbol between master and slave. Humans should never wear collars, because they weren't meant to be slaves. _**

Bakura nonchalantly raised his hand in the air, the light glancing off of the blade. Mithos' eyes widened in realization, yet he was too scared to open his mouth. All warmth left Bakura and a thin smiled appeared.

Ryou slammed his eyes shut and screamed as soon as he saw the knife's descent. He heard a gasp, and couldn't help crying. To take a life was a crime! Bakura wouldn't…he couldn't…

The scream that Ryou voiced chilled Bakura's entire body.

_**Your actions are looked upon by others as a door to your personality.** **What do you want people to think of you as?**_

_Koro…I…I can't forgive him for what he did! _

_**Would you want someone to acknowledge you as a killer?**_

His arm slipped, missing. The shadow in Bakura's mind disappeared, and so did his energy.

There was a small period of silence, where only light breathing could be heard.

_**Some people can't help the way they are, the way they see things. **_

"Why-…" the voice of Bakura cracked once as he tried to bite back a sob. He pounded Mithos' chest as he demanded to know, "Why is he your toy? What makes him yours?"

_**Sometimes it's not because they're stubborn. **_

The child pulled his hands away from his eyes and stared at Bakura's crumpled form, his fingers wrapped around the hilt. Above Mithos' head the knife was buried. Tension fled the child's body, leaving behind exhaustion.There was a margin of one inch between Mithos' head and the blade. Mithos himself was shaking like crazy, his eyes not really seeing anything.

Ryou took a step forward, reaching for Bakura.

_**You have to take into account that their past and yours are different. You have to ask yourself, what if something terrible in their past made them the way they are now?**_

"What gives you the right to...to do that to him? Why the hell would you do something like that?"

He angrily wiped a tear away as Mithos slowly said, "He's a toy because…he doesn't know any better. That's all he's good for."

_**The human heart is a fragile thing. But another's life is something no one has a right to. **_

"Bastard," Bakura spat, gritting his teeth. "You just don't get it." He slammed the hilt of the knife into Mithos' head, knocking him unconscious.

**_Don't make the mistake of taking one. You…you will regret for the rest of your life…Be strong, Bakura. _**

He stayed in that position, too tired to move. He wiped the tears away again, trying to stop the trembling. It scared him that he had…had felt that feeling…the feeling of wanting to actually hurt the man.

"B-Bakura?"

The teen looked up, startled almost.

Ryou stumbled toward him, obviously drained from the entire episode. "I wanna go home now," he said in a small voice, his eyes sifting through fear and fatigue.

Bakura studied the child before him, who was rubbing his eyes from lack of sleep and tears. He smiled softly, forcing himself to stand.

"Let's go home."

Then Bakura ruffled the child's white hair, picked him up and hugged him for a long time.

AN: Well, what'd you think? Does it need revision? (I hope it was good…and I'm sorry if it was short. There seemed like nothing to add, unless I was going to end it here.) I know it's been a while since I've updated, but please review. I'll get the last chapter and the epilogue up before Christmas.


	22. Photograph

AN: As promised, here is the last chapter. I'm not sure if it needs an epilogue, though…cause I changed my plans for the end.

dragonlady222: And let's hope it stays that way. I was thinking about a little more…damage toward Mithos…but nah. It would've been too shocking or something to Ryou. Thanks for all the reviews! Please enjoy this last chapter.

Rogue1979: Hehe, yeah. I'm glad to be back. (Even though I lost everything on my old comp.) It was really painful without a computer at my house. It's happened before, too, but not for as long. Thanks for all the support! I hope you like the last chapter.

yamiyugi23: Here's the last chapter! And I think there isn't going to be an epilogue…just…read it, and tell me what you think. Thanks for all the feedback and advice! Now read on, and enjoy.

The Vampire Prince: I know you haven't reviewed yet, but I know you're going to, as soon as you get back from Hawaii. However! I'm sorry I didn't update before your flight left. Hehe. Thanks for everything, from reviewing to fixing my computer. I hope you like the ending.

Chapter Twenty One: Photograph

He sighed contently, drying his hair off with the towel and then hanging it around his shoulders. Ryou skipped happily past him, calling, "Hi Marik!"

The teen waved as he opened the fridge and grabbed a soda. There was delving heard deeper in the house. Marik shook his head as he opened the can and took a sip, thinking, '_What's gotten into the kid_?'

He leaned against the counter and took another sip before deciding that he wanted some fresh air. Having Bakura back felt great, but also drove him insane from the long late nights of video-gaming, playing poker, and just fooling around.

Marik Ishtar stepped outside, and nearly dropped his pop.

"Surprised?" someone asked, making his way up the stairs. "I bought it from a guy a few days ago. It's only been used once."

Marik was speechless as he gestured toward the enormous boat, then to the hut, then back to the boat.

"What the heck is that thing doing here?" he faintly demanded.

"We're going on a cruise," Bakura simply said.

Marik held a hand up to his forehead. "A cruise?"

Bakura couldn't help grinning. "Yeah, why not?" The expression of Marik's face was priceless, especially how his mouth was just hanging wide open as he blankly stared at the sky. "Just looking around this place makes me feel…giddy. I'd like to get away from it for awhile," Bakura explained, sweeping his hand toward the small hut next to the ocean, then to the small town port.

Slowly, the Egyptian nodded, swallowing hard. "I know what you mean," Marik said, nodding as he recomposed himself. "But…did you have to go and _buy_ a boat already? I mean, what would you've done if I said 'no'?"

"Aha! See, I knew you wouldn't refuse!"

"How can I?" Marik asked, laughing at his friend's tactics. "You told Ryou first, didn't you? That's why he's causing such a ruckus packing. He's all excited over it. If I had refused, I would've looked like the enemy, Kura!"

"What enemy?" Ryou trudged out of the hut, a baseball cap on his head with a small duffel dragging behind him.

"Nothing. Bakura's being mean again, is all," Marik said. He couldn't help but feel energized, though, at the thought of going on a sea voyage. "I'd better start packing or something. Oh, the mail! I have to get that-"

"I'll get it!" Ryou ran down the stairs and shot toward their mailbox. Bakura laughed as he watched him go, almost tripping once over his eagerness.

"It's like…he's all better now," he said quietly, smiling.

Marik slung an arm around the teen's shoulders. "We can't dwell on the past forever, Kura. Look at him, how happy he is. He doesn't look so depressed all the time anymore." _And the same goes for you, Kura. Ever since Koro's death, you never laughed. Now…now, it's different. Ryou really taught you a lot, huh?_

Bakura was about to say something when a holler reached the teens ears as they were leaning against the deck railing. The small tuft of white hair was ecstatically sprinting toward them, a hand waving something in the air. "The letter came! The letter! It actually came!" Ryou was shouting.

He tripped as he ran up the stairs, but he caught himself. Ryou carefully presented the letter to the teens.

The child was obviously psyched about this, so Bakura let him open it.

Ryou steadily read the letter, which confirmed what they had already known. The child was now, officially, Bakura's little brother.

Marik disappeared as Ryou started crying, hugging Bakura. Bakura's face may have been blank, but his eyes told another story.

"Let's take a picture!" Marik exclaimed, coming out of the hut with a tripod and a camera. "This is definitely a memory we want to keep."

As he was setting up the camera, Ryou cocked his head to the side. "Picture? Memory?" Bakura tried to explain what a camera did, but he wasn't very successful.

"It's on self-timer. Ready?"

"No!" Bakura shouted.

Marik grinned. "Here we go!"

_Tick………tick………tick………tick…_

"Erk! We're not ready, Marik!"

"Too late!"

"What am I supposed to do?"

_Tick……tick……tick……tick…_

"Hurry! Hurry!"

"Stand right here and smile!"

"Wait, hold up the letter!"

"Where is it?"

_Tick…tick…tick…_

"Too late! Forget it!

"Just smile!"

"What?!"

"Say cheese!"

"Chees-"

_Click. _

"Oh my…I wonder how it turned out…"

"Marik, I told you that we weren't ready!"

"What happened? Why did it click?"

"Haha! You've got to see this. It turned out great!"

"Whoa…you two did, but I didn't! Retake it, Marik!"

"No way! Look at you in this picture!"

"What is it, Bakura?"

"It's what's called a photograph…a picture."

"A…photograph…"

"Have you never seen one?"

"I…I have…a long time ago…"

"Well, it's yours to keep. Besides, that expression on Kura's face!"

"Shaddap! I want a retake!"

"Hehe…I like it."

AN: I hope the ending was good. Erm…I don't think there's going to be an epilogue. Please review, and tell me what you think. Thanks for all the continued support!


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